What Lies Beneath
by GinKitsune
Summary: Why she was here, when she should be dead but maybe she was dead, she concluded as she found herself staring into the golden depths of eyes so familiar but so cold, the face they belonged to suggested she had indeed fallen straight into hell.
1. Chapter 1: Pain

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: okay first off this is my first Fanfiction and I'm already prepared for some bad feedback on it, as a new writer I'd be foolish to believe everyone will like it lol. I accept constructive criticism pretty well I believe, but for my sake guys please don't be too harsh on me. I've been wracking my brain for ways to express this story without rambling too much or saying too little, the end result...well I'll let you be the judge of it. I don't have a full plan for this yet either, I'm sorta just writing as it comes to me in spurts. Also Please review as it gives me inspiration to keep writing! Now on with the story~**

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Chapter 1: Pain

Kagome hesitantly stepped forward, her foot soundlessly landing on the soft earth beneath her, moving her closer to the edge of the tree line. She had heard his scream and came running without hesitation, without thinking of what could go wrong and now she found herself doubting her actions. She wasn't sure what caused the agonizing scream to rip through him but she knew who it had come from: Inuyasha. Glancing around she quickly surveyed the area, looking for any kind of threat. It was a beautiful day out, the sun was bright and the wind was up, but it wasn't too warm or too chilly.

The deathly silence of the forest was the only indication something was wrong. The panic she had felt the moment she heard the sound rip through the air was what fueled her but now that she was here, her eyes didn't find an enemy. She couldn't even see Inuyasha but she knew he was in the open field, she could feel his Youki coursing through the area, fluxing and growing stronger. The fear she hadn't felt over him since the first time she encountered the young hanyou, awake, crept up her spine like a dagger of ice.

Covered in the shadows of the massive trees surrounding her she gulped down the bile that had lumped up to the back of her throat and moved silently forward, determined to find him and help in any way she could. She knew she wasn't very strong and that her chances were slim but nothing would stop her- not even if it were Naraku and another of his traps. A sudden flash of red drew her complete attention and she caught a glimpse of him. His face shattered in a mixed expression of guild, pain, and something else she couldn't pin point briefly before his face fell back down towards the ground.

Throwing out any attempts to stay concealed out the window along with her fear, she ran out towards him. He was crouched down on the forest floor breathing heavily, his body seemed to be shivering in the light as he bit back the whimpers that chocked him. Just then something glinted in the sunlight and caught her attention, the thin wooden object so familiar to her, a arrow protruding from his back. The silver tip glowing with an aura similar to her own still clinging to it. She gasped, there was only one person who could've done this.

She attentively edged closer to him but hearing the warning growl come from him she stopped immediately, softly she called out his name and waited for him to give her a sign that he'd be ok, a frustrated curse or "I'm fine wench" or anything really. But none came, his breathing was becoming more labored by the second as his cries regurgitated back through his clenched teeth. She could see his nails digging into the rich earth beneath him, clutching it tightly as if his life were slipping through his fingers as easily as the soil.

Fear coursed through her once more as his Youki continued to change before her very eyes, he was struggling with something inside himself and she wasn't sure what to do! How could she help him if he wouldn't allow her to even come near him. Biting her tongue she tried once more to get closer to him, gaining some ground this time, she could see him more clearly now. His eyes moved up towards her but it was as if he didn't see her at all, his eyes were dull and unfocused: dead.

Clutching at her chest she held back the cry she could feel bubbling up through her and moved forward more quickly. She fearfully called out his name and hesitantly reached out her arm towards him but before she could reach him she froze, unable to move. Even her heart felt as if it just stopped functioning, she wasn't sure how long she stood there un breathing before her brain started to scream DANGER at her and tell her to run. But she was still frozen, her arm still stretched out towards him and then something happened.

His eyes glazed over and it looked as if his whole body began to pulse, he struggled against it. Inuyasha curled in on himself and dug his clawed feet into the dirt as well, as if to attempt to root himself into the ground and bind himself to the forest floor. He bit down on his lip, puncturing it, as another cry broke free. The growls emanating from his chest began to grow deeper and louder, becoming a truly frightening sound. Blood began trickling down his chin from his self inflicted wound. Kagome could see the purple jagged lines starting to appear against his cheeks.

A chill ran up her spine as his eyes began to change from their normal butterscotch amber color to red, bleeding in from the outer edges towards the centers, veining their way until there was nothing left but the bright red. Her heart had obviously started working again as it was all she could hear pounding through her chest, terror ripped through her as his body shifted to pounce. She had to get away, get some distance between them while he was in this state but she couldn't move. His teeth glinted menacingly in the bright sunlight as the settings surrounding her horror seemed so antonymous: as if it were mocking her.

Her legs felt like weights as he prepared to pounce, the fear ripped through her whole body like ice daggers piercing everywhere. Her breath caught in her throat as she forced her body to obey her and move, taking a step back then another and another. The adrenaline flowed through her now and as he leapt through the air she turned and ran with all her might, her legs felt like wet sand, unstable and heavy- slowing her down as she pushed herself to move faster. She could feel him gaining ground on her, she pushed harder and tried to breath but couldn't.

He made short time and caught up to her with incredible ease and with a vicious howl he was above her, eyes glinting bright red against his skin, the blood marring his usually innocent face. His hand raised above his head and her heart felt as if it completely stopped again as his clawed hand came down towards her, the sound of ripping came to her ears followed by a desperate eardrum shattering scream.

Kagome bolted straight up still screaming, she gasped for air that refused to come to her, her mind reeled with terror from the nightmare. Sweat glossed her face and arms and ran down her back, she couldn't breathe. Her eyes were blurred and wide open, opting not to blink knowing the images that would play in front of her still should she close them. Tears welled up and rolled down her face as the events washed over her once again.

She had died, that was obvious, but for reasons she could not fathom even on her wildest day- he had saved her. Why did he have to grow a conscience now of all times… Now? He should have just let her Passover, after all that would at least be merciful, was he beyond that capability? The pain wrenched through her once more as images assaulted her mind. He was gone…All because she was too damn weak! The One person in this Godforsaken place that meant everything to her, that held her world upright, that she couldn't live without and he was gone now. Kikyou had won.

Her memory was still so very clear but the pain she felt, that was so much worse. Knowing that she would never again see Inuyasha brought her down to her knees. The pain intensified, coursing through her veins and up to her heart- what was left of it. Sharp cutting pains slashed through her chest leaving her doubled over gasping for air. Forcing herself with all her might Kagome pushed herself up and focused on the simple yet difficult task of breathing, less she go into another panic attack.

Clutching her sides tightly she put every once of energy left in her into slowly breathing in and out, in and out, breath in- breath out. After what seemed like an eternity she finally got herself under control. Completely drained she leaned back against the futon, the sheen of sweat covering her body only helped to aid the chill the night air brought down on her. Her hand balled up around the thin sheet she had thrown off earlier.

Pulling it over her body she wrapped it over herself and stared up at the ceiling, now focusing on her heart beating inside her chest and her slow steady breathes. The aches in her body were there but she tried to ignore them, she had ripped something when she jumped up, she could feel the blood flowing under the bandage but she didn't care about that. Her wounds went deeper than the flesh. Sleep began to tug at her as her eyelids started to grow heavy and her body started to relax.

Body going numb once again she groaned with the effort to not succumb to the night, a yawn escaped her lips. Drowsily she glared at the ceiling and fought, not wanting to close her eyes; afraid of the horror that awaited her once she was under again. But all too soon her eyes finally betrayed her and drifted shut and sleep consumed her once more, the battle lost.

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**A/N: so I know this may seem short but I didn't want to drag it out too far as I'm trying to stick to a guideline of sorts for the chapters, not to say that won't change later though. But for now this will be about the size of the chapters. Guys and Gals I'm looking for a bata reader to proof read my chapters before they are posted so as to prevent grammar errors or misspelling etc. So if there's anyone out there interested please contact me via the message system provided here on Thank You for reading and I hope you enjoyed this and am looking forward to bringing you more to read soon. **

**Please Review!**


	2. Chapter 2: Cold

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**Note: This chapter contains after effects of violent acts. If it is to the degree I need to change the rating Please let me know as I'm a new writer here and I don't know if it's really bad enough to change the rating.**

**A/N: Hm, I'm not really sure what to say this time, it's nearly 5:30am and I haven't been to bed… and I have work tomorrow and yet here I am, ugh what is wrong with me! *groans* just couldn't sleep so I thought some of my own writing may wear at my brain enough to bring on sleep. As a result I've written nearly half this chapter so if some of it comes out sounding a bit off….you know why. Well enough of this~ on to the story right? Happy reading!**

**P.S. Please review! *pouts***

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Chapter 2: Cold

He could hear her from his study down the hall, he could hear her muffled sobs, every shaky breath she took, the stifled cries of pain. And he didn't understand it; he couldn't understand her reaction. Humans were so degrading, allowing themselves to be so controlled by emotions, emotions that more often than not lead to their death or came at a high price for others. It was simply illogical.

Shouldn't she be mad at him? Hate him for the pain and suffering he had brought down on her? By all rights she should loathe him after the events of that day. But no, the emotions that were clear on her face that day was sorrow, and regret. Her face was a clear image to how she felt inside, but she held no malice for him. Her chalky white skin stark against the blood that smeared across her face, caking in her hair. He could still see the grief and slight hint of hysteria on her face, so clearly in his mind. It had become clear who the blame fell on in her mind. Herself.

Silently rising from his seat he walked out of his study and down the hall, coming to a halt outside of the room that held the girl, why was he here again? As he stared at the sakura blossoms that had been delicately painted onto the rice paper of the shoji door he found himself pondering on his actions. He was just protecting his assets he assured himself after a few moments of consideration.

If she had injured herself again it was better to find out now rather than be informed about it later when the damage had worsened. He sniffed the air and caught the metallic salty scent of blood, so she had reopened her wound, this girl was really starting to test his tolerance. Was he going to have to tie her down to prevent her from jerking her body around and slowing the healing process that was already slow enough?

He could also smell the salt from her tears, and though her body had been cleaned by his servants he could still smell the remnants of old blood and the musky scent of his half breed brother that seemed to linger on her flesh. Perhaps that scent only helped to feed her subconscious mind into conjuring up the nightmares she faced every night, he silently pondered, he didn't know- nor did he care he told himself.

She was here for one reason and only one reason, that was why she was here breathing, staying in his home. The waves of her aura pooled around her and rippled out as she gathered control of herself, her breathes coming out more steady and relaxed until the rhythm was so smooth he knew she was sound asleep. He contemplated going inside the room but argued that he could assess her injuries from here, still he opened the door slightly and his cool gaze landed on her form.

His eyes grazing over her in assessment to her injuries, the wound his Tenseiga couldn't heal was starting to heal, her own body fighting off the undead miko's reiatsu that splintered her flesh and seeped into the wound. He moved closer to her and quietly bent forward, his hand catching the silken sheet and swiftly moved it away. She shivered from the absence, small chills formed on her shoulder and arm but he ignored that and took a closer look at the bandages covering her back.

He sniffed delicately, determining if it was infected or not, finding that her aura was covering the area. Acting as a barrier and bandage of it's own, yes it was healing nicely, but it would heal a great deal faster if she would put some conscious effort into it herself. His sharp amber eyes moved down to her ribcage, finding the blood spotted bandage there. Last night as she was having another one of her night terrors she had caused injury to herself, he pulled the sheet back up to where it had been and stepped away from her.

His servant had informed him that she had come into the room after hearing the girl scream out, fearing she may be in trouble, but when she got into the room it was just the girl. She was screaming out and white light poured from her hands as she gripped at her sides, the light crackled and pierced her flesh like knives as she clutched the skin, the raw energy ripping through the flesh with ease. She had to be restrained and forcefully knocked out again, the servant pleaded with the Taiyoukai to not take her life for going to such measures.

She was spared but the underlining question that began to wrap around his mind was: what was she? He knew by her scent that she was human, albeit very clean and didn't smell like sweat and dirt, but the reiyoku flowing from her form indicated that she did hold power, more than he had noticed before. She really was strange, even by human standards. The way she had been dressed and the defiance he had witnessed from her on more than one occasion.

But that defiance was obviously gone, she showed no signs of resistance when she was conscious, her movements robotic and distant, when food was presented to her she didn't eat with acknowledgement- it was simply her body willing her to do so to nourish itself, he knew this because he had once brought her her meal himself to check in on her recovery; the food being the barely comprehensible excuse. It was obvious to him that fixing her- wait fixing may be too strong a word, getting her into a coherent state of mind, was going to be harder than he thought.

Sesshomaru's cool eyes never left her form under the sheets as he silently walked over to the door and slipped out of the room, sliding the shoji door shut before turning and walking back down the dimly lit hallway. As he walked back towards his study his mind reflected off to that eventful day not but a month and a few days ago. The images still sharp and…cold in his mind. He had been there, the day the undead Miko took Inuyasha to hell with her. He never had any intention of being a part of that event but fate, _he inwardly sneered at the word_, put him on a different path.

~Memory Flashback~

Sesshomaru stood in the open field surveying his surroundings, the wind flared and blew softly against him. That was when he caught the stench of the undead Miko, he never cared to learn her name, but he knew that stench anywhere, clay and cold unrelenting death. Shortly after he caught her scent a loud scream vibrated through the air, female and by the sound of it she was obviously in a great deal of pain. He had intended to continue unperturbed, on his own path back to his home.

But after scenting the air more closely and finding the half breeds scent, that notion was temporarily neglected, but his scent had changed though undoubtedly his. The air seemed to thicken around the area he knew held their location, the almost tangible weight of it on him held him at a stand still, "Inuyasha!", the female cried out. Was he the cause of her painful cry earlier? Inuyasha was attacking a human? He pondered to himself a moment, no perhaps it was the undead Miko's doing and the scream was for help.

Sehsshomaru wasn't one to just run in on a situation without a second thought though. His ears twitched as another thundering scream of pain came drifting to his ears, on a internal level of some kind, he knew who it was that was crying out. He was being pulled by it, he would never admit to it in a thousand years but that voice so full of pain on more than a physical level was pulling at him. He would lump up his reason for going merely as another chance to encounter Inuyasha for the Tetsusaiga; after all why should he pass up any chance that presented itself to him.

He leapt off the ground without a sound, heading for his new destination with such speed few could ever hope to match, in no time at all he approached the area that they resided in. What he saw was by no means anything he had expected to come across when he reached them. His cold eyes surveyed the scene and didn't know what to make of it, the girl- the one he knew had been screaming in pain was laying face down in the dirt, blood pooling around her body from the deep gashes on her back and legs. Even her arms had long slashes down them and across her risks, bite marks on her shoulder blade and an arrow protruding through her upper chest.

Of all the times he had come across his brother he had never seen this kind of brutality from his actions. Taking his eyes from the carnage before him he looked over at the hanyou in question, the eyes that stared back at him were filled with horror and pain. The look on his face making him seem nearly as broken as the girl, he averted his eyes from Sesshomaru and looked down at his clawed hands still saturated in the dead girls blood.

"Inuyasha", the undead miko called to him, her voice cold and devoid of emotion, "come with me Inuyasha, you have nothing to hold you here now", she promptly stated as she stepped closer to him. Her Shinidamachu began to coil around Inuyasha's arms and waist. Her arms snaked around his neck as she pulled him closer to her and the earth beneath them began to shift and rip apart at the seams. Sesshomaru didn't even have the notion to even move as he watched all this happen.

The hanyou didn't even speak as his lifeless eyes gazed back over to the girl he had grown to care so much for, the one he thought he'd never hurt, to say he was ashamed and in pain was a massive understatement. No he simply _loathed_ himself with every fiber of his being as he realized what he had done, the pain that went through his heart at the sight of her broken body surrounded by her own blood, her blood on his hands was enough to choke the life out of him. He could never forgive himself for what he had done.

He didn't try to get away, he didn't want to live anymore. He didn't Deserve to live any longer, Inuyasha told himself, this is what he deserved- to be damned to hell. And Kikyo was going to be escorting him there personally. "Kagome, I'm so sorry..", Inuyasha choked out before he accepted his rightful punishment. The earth parted and bright lights flashed around him as the earth beneath him began to sink, Kikyo embraced him tighter and he let her drag him to the pits of hell.

To witness his half brother being dragged off to hell was something the Tiayoukai never thought he'd see with his own eyes, he felt an odd sense of justice in the matter though. The fact the hanyou had shown signs of attempting to repent for his actions and wasn't running away was something to commend him on. And so he didn't try to stop him from his self sacrifice. Sesshomaru leaned forward a fraction in a small display of new respect as he watched Inuyasha disappear beneath the earth.

As the earth closed up and the wind began to blow through the trees, Sesshomaru stared at the ground contemplating the whole event that had unfolded in such a short time. Something glared in the sunlight catching his eyes, he scanned the forest floor until they landed on the object, Tetsusaiga laid there in a pool of blood broken in half. Within a blink he was across the small distance and picking it up, the sword unable to reject him in it's broken state. Scanning the area again he found the sheath and after slipping the broken sword back into it's sheath, slid it through his obi securing it to his side.

As he moved to leave his eyes are drawn back to the battered girl and he found himself walking over to her prone body. Silently as he stood over her, golden eyes landing on her pale face, Tenseiga began to pulse at his side. Slim fingers found the hilt of the sword, Sesshomaru unsheathed the sword smoothly and held it over her body. _What is it you want?, _He mentally questioned the sword in front of him.

The sword seemed as if it were humming, craving for him to use it, he looked from the sword down to the demons of the underworld gathering around the girl to collect her soul. Without hesitation he pulled the arrow from her body swiftly and used his Tenseiga, cuting them down and effectively brought the dead Miko back to life. Though she didn't stir he could hear her breathing, her heart beating steadily under her chest. Slowly her body shifted and showed outward signs of life, her deep blue eyes slowly opened and gazed up at him in a blurry haze.

~End Flashback~

Shaking off the memory Sesshomaru found himself back at his study, yes he couldn't be allowing himself to dwell on past events like this, taking his seat once more he put his focus on the documents in front of him and blocked off any and all thoughts of the miko down the hall that tried to sliver into his mind. She had a roll to play but he'd give her this time to recover, he wasn't completely heartless after all. The last passing thought through his mind that drifted from the work before him was that perhaps Rin was making him soft.

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Kagome huddled the sheet tighter against her body unconsciously, as her nightmare returned after temporarily allowing her to fall into oblivion, it was always only temporarily though. Her lips part, "Inuyasha…I love you", she whispered into the night. Outside the wind began to pick up as a spring rain started to pour down from the sky, gently washing the images away for now and soothing her in it's soft lullaby.

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**A/N: Had to throw in a little Kagome there lol. No I don't hate Inuyasha and no I didn't kill him off to have him suffer, so please do not flame me about how he died or what he did to Kagome.. Rather than writing "Kagome sees Inuyasha kissing Kikyo and runs away" I decided on another means for her to be in pain over his actions, one not so common and predictable. After all how can I bring Sesshomaru into her life with Inuyasha breathing right down her neck and interjecting. What does Sesshomaru want from Kagome? What will Rin think of this? Will Kagome comply with him on his reasons? Haha ok enough of my teasing, anyway I'm still not exactly sure where I'm going with this story yet. I want to be original but in a vast category as this with so many fans and so many stories it's not quite so easy. And then there's Sesshomaru, who isn't exactly the easiest person to portray, I'm hoping he doesn't come off OOC. I've prewritten this chapter and giving the first one time to gather reviews but so far I haven't gotten a single one, not one, so if I do not receive reviews after this chapter is posted I will not be continuing this story. There's really no point if no one is interested, or doesn't care enough to review.**

Glossary:

Shinidamachu = Kikyo's soul collectors.

That's it for now, I can't think of anything else that readers may not have known.

**Please review if you wish to see more of this story.**


	3. Chapter 3: Numb

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: Thank you guys for all the fav story alerts. To the two people that did review: I want to huggle them for their words of kindness, compliments; seeming to enjoy what I've written so far. It makes me happy to check my e-mail these days :). I would also like to thank those who have put this story in their alerts, you guys pwease review, I really want to know your thoughts on this.**

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Chapter 3: Numb

She wasn't eating.

It had been a month since he had unsheathed Tenseiga and brought her back to the world of the living, and she hadn't said a single word. Again he found himself coming up short when it came to understanding this strange girl, up until three days ago she had been eating, very little but still taking in food. But now it was as if she was fighting off the hunger her body felt and ignoring the meals brought to her, leaving them untouched. Did she plan to starve herself to death? He wondered as his mind started slipping off to that day again.

Shock was the most prominent expression on her face at the time, but as she slowly looked up at him recognition dawned on her face. He stood over her frail form, blood all around her, surrounding her. He had expected her to scream or run but she had surprised him; an accomplishment of it's own. She did nothing, not at first, her eyes never left his but he could see that she was fighting to hold her eyes open. As the seconds ticked by in silence, he began to think perhaps she had went into shock; it would certainly explain her lack of reaction. But as he coolly gazed into those dark blue eyes, eyes that saw everything, she gazed up at him as if she were trapped and then she lost consciousness.

What was he going to do with her? Would he have to have a servant force feed her the food, he questioned himself, but if he did that he was sure she'd be less than happy about it and would just make his job to gain her acceptance of his plans much harder. There had to be a way to get her into a functional condition, but so far leaving her to her privacy wasn't having a productive effect on her. The agitation that pricked at him was growing more each time he was informed of her silent denial to eat. He was going to have to consult her sooner or later, before she did, indeed, starve herself to death.

Sesshomaru looked away from the scrolls on his desk and gazed out his window, listening to the cool spring breeze a it passed through the trees. The sound was something of comfort as his mind contemplated this new situation he found himself in. He could handle any attack an enemy threw at him but this girl couldn't be dealt with by sword or by any combat for that matter. With her it was a matter of heart: something he didn't understand. How could he rein in control of her when she was broken, she had nothing he could use as leverage for his advantage either…

He heard the wobble of footsteps from down the hall before the approach, coming to an abrupt halt before reaching his door and lingered there a moment, Sesshomaru inhaled the scent of flowers from the garden drifting in from his window in attempt calm the new frustration building within him and patiently waited for the little annoying toad demon to gather his wits to finish his destination to the door frame. When seconds ticked by and still he hadn't moved an inch Sesshomaru grew tired of waiting for him and quietly called out to the little demon.

"Jaken, you may enter now," he watched the little toad nearly trip on his robe in his haste to stand by the door in clear eyesight.

"My Lord," Jaken squawked as he bowed low, his big yellow eyes downcast to the floor, hesitantly he fiddled with his sleeve.

"What is it Jaken?," Sesshomaru coolly questioned.

Still keeping his eyes glued to his sleeve the little toad hesitantly spoke, "the miko, she's refused her meal again…"

"I see," Sesshoumaru simply stated. A few moments passed in silence, which was causing Jaken to grow more nervous with each passing moment.

"Jaken, go collect her meal back and wait outside of her quarters, wait there for further instruction," Sesshomaru instructed, still staring out his window.

"Yes, My Lord," quickly Jaken stumbled back out the door and disappeared.

The birds chirped their happy song to one another from the trees, a fluffy white cloud covered the sun momentarily before lazily moving on, letting the sun beams to shine back once again into his office. Sesshomaru leaned back in his chair and took a moment to just listen, listen to the sounds around him as his mind tried to conjure up a way to get her to bend to his needs without causing more injury, but most importantly to not cause injury to his own pride. He wouldn't beg her, oh no no, all of hells flames would freeze over before that happened.

It was his job to protect his lands, and all it's occupants, he had every intention of doing just that, come hell or high waters. If this girl could aid his position then he was going to put her abilities to full use.

He had been content to let his foolish half brother collect the shards, it saved him from the hassle of the task, he had planned to go on about his many other responsibilities that came with his title. But as of recently it was becoming apparent that more shards were finding their way onto his lands. The attacks becoming more frequent and forcing him to take more time away on patrols for said demons with shards. Finding them was a real problem though, it was a constant job to search for the heightened jyaki and tracking- always on the move.

But now he had this girl, Inuyasha's Miko companion, and he knew of her powers; she could sense the shards and she held responsibility of her own tying her to the shards. They could be of use to one another, even though he wasn't happy with the idea of working with humans at all, well of working with anyone period actually, he would endure it as a part of his responsibilities. He could be around her without killing her, with his resolve set Sesshomaru stood up and walked out of his office, silently moving his way down the hall to her room.

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Slowly Kagome's bloodshot eyes trailed up to the door, dully noting the jyaki that resided outside of it, he had been standing there for a few minutes now but what caught her attention now was the very powerful new jyaki that poured into the room, curling around her. She flinched back a few inches from the invisible contact, she knew who it belonged to, why was he coming here? Did he finally decide to end her life, he must be bored of his little game and deciding to end it. For a fleeting moment her body wanted to fight, instinctive in nature, but her mind was another story. She didn't care to die, she had nothing left to lose, silently she stood and waited for the door to open.

Within seconds the door opened smoothly, a gasp lodged in her throat as his form took up the frame as he entered, she felt like she couldn't breathe again. Not because of his jyaki but because of the emotions that ate away at her insides at the sight of him, the cold taiyoukai held the same golden eyes as Him, the scent somewhat familiar on a more primal level, the long silver flowing hair. All similarities ending there but it was enough to crush her still, she pulled her eyes away from his form and glued to the floor, she tried desperately to shove away the images that began to swim around her before she broke down right in front of him. He wouldn't get that pleasure from her.

Without a sound he was there in front of her, he had been at the door but as she peered down she suddenly felt his presence just in front of her, Kagome cut off the startled yelp that nearly escaped her throat, the sound that came out sounding more like a small gurgle as she tried to not flinch away from him. He was too close, way too close, even though from the feel of it he was an arms length away she couldn't help but wish he were back across the room. She clenched her fists at her sides and held her ground and waited….she waited for him to attack and end it… she didn't know how long she waited but it was becoming unbearable, slowly she shifted her eyes up and stopped at his shoulder, not daring to meet his face…those eyes.

"Why…?," the question softly escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Why did he bring her back to life? Why was he keeping her here? Why hadn't he ended it already?

Sesshomaru stood there silently, taking in her enigmatic question, though he could think of things to say that would sway her mind into going along with him more willingly, he didn't want to lie to her or sow seeds of false promises into the cracks of the broken girl in front of him. Being truthful was the only way to gain a small amount of trust and ultimately gain her cooperation, but he wouldn't tell her just How important her role played meant to him. His hand lifted slowly, not wanting to frighten her, and a clawed finger moved to the bandaged area over her heart.

"Because this," He lightly grazed the fabric to elaborate, "is still yours, this burden," Sesshomaru turned his hand over and opened it up, a small shard he had collected on his own before their encounter, in his palm- "is still yours to hold," he finished nonchalantly. Swiftly he moved his hand away from her, back down to his side, watching her expression change along with her heart rate. Even if in her mind she weren't afraid of death, her heightened scent and heart rate seemed to portray his movement as a threat. At least her survival instinct was still intact, he mused.

Kagome held her breath as her heart began to race from the contact, though the touch was very light she could still feel it even after his hand was back against his side, mentally she began to beat her body back down into submission. She concentrated on getting her heart to slow back down to a normal pace, and making her lungs work properly once more. Once her body was in check she raised her eyes momentarily to his flat golden ones before quickly moving lower once more, staring down along his right arm -his only arm- to his hand intensely.

"I will help you gather the shards of the Shikon no Tama, woman, but first you must forget your own sorrows for the moment, you must take control of your responsibility and finish out your quest to complete the jewel, and," he elaborated further without missing a beat, " you must eat to gain your strength back before you can do anything. Do not allow yourself to succumb to death so easily, it's unbecoming of you." His cold eyes scanned her thin frame.

"Unbecoming of me? How would you know what's "unbecoming" of me, you don't even know me, you probably don't even know my name," Kagome coldly gritted the words out, so he had done this to gain the shards, since when did the oh Great Lord Sesshomaru want the sacred jewel? She wanted to slap him for putting her through this pain, for his own twisted desire for power, but at the same time his words rang true. The Shikon no Tama was still her responsibility, she couldn't deny that. Her musing was cut off by his response.

"Your name is Kagome," He stated quietly. Her name rolled off his tongue easily and Kagome fought off the feeling that suddenly went through her leaving her heart to stutter, quickly she reined in control of herself. Refusing to admit she liked the way her name sounded from his lips, Kagome fought off the urge to wrap her arms around herself. Without a word being issued from the taiyoukai the little toad demon, Jaken, entered her room and placed the tray of food down on the desk in the room, sparring her a glare before waddling back to the door and waiting outside for his master.

Feeling more awake now than at any time before since she woke up here, the smell of food caused hunger to pull at her insides with a ravenous need, she fought against it and cursed her weak body for rebelling against her. She watched him as he walked over to the desk and removed the lid from the tray and picked up a small bite size piece of meat, lifted it to his lips and popped it into his mouth. Her deep blue eyes were glued to his mouth as he chewed slowly and swallowed the food, swiftly he wiped away any remnant of the juice from the meat off his lower lip and strode over to the door.

Sesshomaru watched the girl watch him, amusement sneaking it's way into his mind as her mouth fell open slightly, did she know what her body was even doing right now? Did she realize she was licking her lower lip and just the look on her face was priceless, amusement flashed in his eyes as she started to move closer. He had ate a morsel for her benefit, to prove it wasn't poisoned, not that any puny poison that would kill a human could harm him- but it was the gesture he wanted to imply. He wasn't feeding her something to harm her.

As he reached the door frame he surveyed her a moment before speaking, "Eat, I recommend you seriously consider my generous offer, I will return in two hours for your answer."

And then he slid the door closed and was gone, as silent as he had come, Kagome stared at the plate of food and couldn't fight off the hunger in her awakened state of mind. Her hands shaking she reached over and took the plate into her hands, she slid down to the ground with a small thump. Her hands seemed to be shaking harder as she held up a piece of meat and put it to her lips, he had ate a piece and she knew it was a gesture to show the food was fine, she opened her mouth and bit into the juicy meat. It tasted so good, she grabbed a roll and bit into it and nearly groaned out as she greedily took a big bite of rice, and with that she gave way to the hunger that consumed her. Hunger really was the best seasoning.

Kagome leaned back against the wall in a contempt sigh of relief, so full she thought she would pop like a tick if she had another bite, she found herself staring at her sprawled out legs in front of her, eyes roaming over the very light lavender yukata she adorned. Things were so much easier to ignore when you felt detached and numb, but feeling awake as she did now her mind reeled in thought over Sesshomaru's offer, _so he said he'll help me_, she pondered to herself quietly. A frown pulling her lips down as she retraced his words in her mind, the very idea of having him around her sent chills up her spine, but could she do it alone? She didn't think she could do it, and the idea of being out there alone stung worse than the idea of having him by her side.

She knew she had her whole soul back now that Kikyou was gone from this plane, she could feel it throughout her body burning inside of her, Kagome had never felt more complete and broken at the same time in all her life. But even so she knew she would accept Sesshomaru's offer, as much as it hurt to be around him, he was real and willing to assist her. It didn't matter much that he obviously had a reason for doing so, he wasn't doing this out of kindness. What really mattered was the fact she still had a responsibility, broken or not, and he was the only one there offering to aide her with the heavy burden. A sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, she wasn't going to question his reasons, she didn't think she had the strength or care to really want to know why he was willing to help.

Swiftly the accustomed numbness came back to her as she sat there against the wall, Kagome openly welcomed the feeling back, nothing hurt as bad so long as she felt detached- nothing could touch her while she was numb. At least not during the time her eyes were open. A short time later she felt the familiar jyaki approaching her, dimly Kagome got to her feet and kept her eyes on the door, she was sure the heavy footsteps were meant to be a warning for her to announce his arrival. Did he really think her dull sense of hearing was the only way she'd know of his approach? She mentally questioned but pushed the thought aside as the door slid silently open.

"Have you an answer for me, woman?," came his cool deep voice. Sesshomaru stood there with a regal appearance that would make anyone envious, well except her, she just felt indifferent about it. Mask in place Kagome nodded her head before walking over to the window and stared out at the surroundings.

"I accept," She said without hesitation, she didn't look over at him but he knew her full attention was on him. Inwardly he almost smirked at his easy triumph, she was going to cooperate with him of her own will, that alone would make the job they had ahead of them easier. He appraised her back again while he stood in the door way, he wasn't leering, just simply searching for the wound he knew to be there. After a moment of consideration he walked over to her, causing her to nearly leap back away from his sudden advance on her.

"I mean no harm," he said dully as she forced herself to relax as much as she could while being so close to him, it wasn't exactly easy. "W-what is it?," Kagome stammered out as her instincts told her to move away but her body wouldn't comply.

"I was merely going to take a look at the wound to access how much longer it will take to heal completely," Sesshomaru said, stepping closer again but more slowly this time.

A blush crept up her face as she realized how foolish she had acted, _stupid stupid stupid, he wasn't trying anything funny on you,_ she berated herself. Nodding to him in a silent comply she turned her back to him and loosened the yukata and pushed the fabric away from her back while clutching the front of it closed against her well developed chest. His fingers were feather light, barely touching her at all as he moved her long hair away from her back and stared intently at the bandage covering the wound, his clawed finger lightly pressed against the bandage and cut through it with ease, slowly he pulled the bandage away and tossed it aside.

Sharp golden eyes trailed along the wound, it was nearly healed now, the skin scabbed over the smooth fresh pink of new skin, leaning in he sniffed just to be sure it was clean. "It doesn't need to be bandaged anymore, it needs to air out," Sesshomaru simply pointed out. Kagome shivered as he spoke, his breath flowed onto the back of her neck causing her to blush again like a fool. With a curt nod he leaned away from her again and stepped back, giving her back her personal space. As Kagome tightened her yukata back up she could still feel the lingering touch even as she heard him walking back to the door once more, ready to leave she presumed.

"We leave in a week, your body will be healed by then," and with that the demon lord slid the door shut and was gone. Kagome didn't miss the fact he said "your body", he knew she was broken and only her body would heal. She didn't understand why that knowledge of him knowing bothered her so much, but maybe that was just his way of speaking- it didn't matter though she told herself, and she didn't dwell on it as she lowered herself to the futon and gladly sunk back into her stupor. The numbness was bliss at times like this, when she wasn't sleeping and the memories weren't coursing through her body, leaving nothing but a shell left in it's wake.

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**A/N: Well another chapter down, I'm kinda pleased with how this chapter came out yet worried at the same time. I wonder if I set Sesshomaru in OOCness, I won't lie it's been a while since I watched the anime so it is easier for me to portray characters more incorrectly than other writers. But guys if I mess him up you have to let me know what you think, Tell me if you think I messed up in this chapter or any others. Feedback is always important!**

Glossary:

Jyaki: Demonic Aura

Shikon no Tama: Jewel of Four Souls (though willing to bet everyone knew this but had to add it as a precaution)

**Please Review!**


	4. Chapter 4: Setting Off

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: Hi everyone, or anyone...Hm, I had such a problem getting this chapter up, I don't know why it wouldn't allow me to edit it but half the whole chapter was coming out italic and just all shoved together. I know it's been a while since I updated, but lately I just haven't been motivated at all! This chapter took quite a bit of time as I only felt like writing little pieces only here and there or not at all. So, I'm sorry that it wasn't out sooner, and I do hope it's worth the wait instead of a total waste of time. At any rate, a new chappy is here and I won't waste your time reading my rambling.**

**Please Review guys it really strives me to keep writing, and update faster- which is what you guys want right? So lets help each other out eh? ;)**

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Chapter 4: Setting Off

"Kagome-san," came a bright sing song voice from down hall.

Kagome raised her head at the sound of small footsteps, slowly she rose to her feet and shuffled over to the doorway to wait for the little ball of energy to reach her door, without even a second thought she slid the door open just in time for the young girl to jump up at her and hug her around the waist. Kagome wasn't exactly sure how the girl knew she'd open the door right at that moment but let it go as she looked down at the girl, without a word she laid her hand on top of Rin's messy raven hair and put on a smile for her, she couldn't just show how miserable she was in front of someone so young and innocent.

Rin had started to come by for little visits two days after she had agreed to Sesshomaru's offer of assistance, she found it odd that the little girl seemed to enjoy spending time with her. She didn't speak much, but Rin did enough talking for the both of them, often speaking of the latest thing Jaken did to upset her and her pranks on him. It was funny really, and sometimes she felt the smile that would briefly form on her lips without effort. She could picture the little toad demon sprawled out on the floor in a result of Rin's wire booby-trap, Rin had told her about it in prideful detail, along with many other stories.

Silently she listened to Rin's latest escapade while the girl pulled her to the garden to pick some flowers, sheepishly the smiling girl handed her a blue flower she deemed as pretty as her and went well with her eyes, the young priestess tried to convince her that she was giving her too much credit but couldn't sway the girls mind. Kagome couldn't really deny the content feeling Rin's company provided, it somehow eased her pain, even if it was only temporarily. Rin was so full of life and energy, the little girl brought on a warmth that Kagome longed to have in her life once more. Every time the little girl smiled it felt as if the simple gesture was fighting off the shadows that loomed around Kagome, the girl was like a little sun.

She was going to miss her, miss all that she was, Kagome knew she was still capable of feeling that much.

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Today they set out on their journey.

"My Lord, Ah-Un has been saddled and prepared as you commanded, you are set to leave at any moment you wish," Jaken bowed and waited for further instruction.

"Go and inform the girl that we're leaving, and for her to not leave this Sesshomaru waiting long." Sesshomaru said as he prepared to leave.

"Yes Sesshomaru-sama," Jaken quickly left the room, hurrying through the long halls to the girls room, once there he was about to knock on the door but Rin slid it open before he got a chance- nearly colliding with him. Rin quickly righted herself before falling and stammered an apology, and frowned immediately, if Jaken were here it could only mean that it was time for Sesshomaru-sama and Kagome-san to leave. Quickly she turned around and ran back over to Kagome and stood behind her legs, it was needless to say Rin wasn't happy with the idea of losing them both and being left with Jaken.

Kagome looked over at Jaken then down at Rin, the little girl nearly entangled herself into her hakama, she placed her hand on the little girls head in an attempt to comfort and waited for Jaken to speak. After a few moments of hesitation, which she had no idea why he would stall, but finally he gathered his wits and spoke.

"Lord Sesshomaru is ready to depart, come along with me Miko," he sternly said as he looked at her oddly as though she had grew a second head.

What was with him, Kagome wondered, the usual preserved glare he held for her was missing. Was the clothes really that big a difference in her? Or was there something wrong? She brushed the thoughts off as she gently untangled Rin from her and moved forward, Rin in toe, she fallowed the little toad demon outside and into the open where Sesshomaru must be waiting for her. As she approached him she could've sworn she saw something flicker in his eyes for a split second but ignored it as her attention was pulled to the large two headed dragon demon behind Sesshomaru: Ah-Un. So massive, she had forgotten how big he was. Her attention was pulled away as the sound of sniffling reached her ears.

Turning around Kagome reached out and brushed a small tear away from Rin's face, before she could speak the girl leapt forward and hugged her as tight as her little arms would allow. It still amazed Kagome that the little girl could possibly be so full of emotion, to cry over her absence was something she just didn't understand, was Rin really that attached to her over such a short time? It didn't really make sense. Kagome lightly brushed her fingers through the little girls hair and murmured to her that it would be alright and they'd be back in no time, Rin nodded silently and wiped her tears away, "Come back soon Kagome-san," she then untangled herself and walked over to Sesshomaru.

Rin didn't run over and hug him, but the feelings that showed in her eyes were the same, Kagome suspected at times like this that Rin was wiser than some adults, she didn't test her limits with what was ok with the demon lord. Rin said her farewells to him, her blurry eyes a wordless testament that she was going to miss him, Kagome was completely taken off guard as she witnessed with her own eyes as Sesshomaru reached out to place his palm on the little girls head, as she had done a few times herself, and told Rin to behave herself with Jaken, and to stay out of trouble. Kagome couldn't believe what she just witnessed, the cold demon lord was…was….she blinked rapidly as her mind tried to comprehend his actions.

But before her mind could catch up she found Sesshomaru to be standing right in front of her, looking as impassive as always, his eyes still as cold as stone. She stared at him blankly as he reached out his hand to her, her mind tried to put together a reason for the gesture but apparently she wasn't fast enough as the next thing she knew he had picked her up by the waist and placed her on Ah-Un. Damn was he always so inpatient? She felt so very odd sitting on the saddle of the large two headed dragon, a moment later and without a sound she sensed the weight shift as he settled himself down onto the saddle as well, but there was still plenty of space in between them.

Rin was patting both Ah-Un's heads and softly whispered to him, "Now you take care of Kagome-san for me, okay? She's my friend." Giving Ah-Un one last pat she stepped away and walked back to where Jaken stood. The little demon had a look of pure unease on his face, no doubt thinking of all the pranks the young girl would likely try to pull on him without Lord Sesshomaru being around to scold her. Maybe he would get lucky and she wouldn't try anything after Sesshomaru-sama's warning, well only time would really tell he sighed.

Ah-Un leapt off the ground suddenly and Kagome could only clamp herself down against him as he took off high into the skies. Kagome squeezed her eyes shut tight as the wind whipped at her face and through her hair, she shivered against the tension of muscles and waited for her stomach to go back down where it belonged. After what seemed like forever the wind eased up and her muscles started to relax a bit against the new sensation, cautiously she cracked one eye open to look around her. They were so very high up, she tightened her grip as she looked at the landscape below them, biting her lower lip in apprehension. This was much higher than she was used to.

Sesshomaru watched her as her body tensed and un tensed, so she was afraid of heights? She hadn't need to worry, it wasn't as if he'd allow her to fall, silently he wished she'd stop biting her lower lip before she could cut herself- if they were to hit a large wind current even those dull teeth of hers could pierce her skin. Well not that it mattered really, he nudged his foot into Ah-Un's side lightly to direct the beast to fly lower to the ground, he suspected that being so high up might hinder her ability to sense the shards. Neither of them spoke, both were fine with the silence, and so the day started to trickle by with only the sound of the wind against their ears.

As the minutes ticked by into hours Kagome's body finally relented and relaxed again, the sound of the wind like a lullaby to her senses, she gave into the familiar numbness that came to her rescue when she was alone. Even with Sesshomaru there it was as if he wasn't, his silence was something she was grateful for now, she had never thought of him as one that would want to speak to a human at any rate. Her unseeing eyes stared down at her pale green hakama as her mind blissfully started to go blank of all thoughts, Kagome knew she'd sense any shards without actual need to focus, another thing to count her luck on. No, she only needed to focus on the battle and where the exact location of the shard was, closing her eyes she welcomed the blackness that promised solitude.

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As they started to descend Kagome is suddenly pulled out of her reverie by the shift of their flight, the sky was painted in hues of pink and purple as she realized the day had already slipped by without luck of any shards near by, though it wasn't something unusual. At times it could be two weeks to a month or sometimes longer before they would finally sense a shard reasonably close by, Kagome closed her eyes as she waited for the thud of Ah-Un's touch down but surprisingly there wasn't one, the mount landed so gently Kagome took a few moments to open her eyes and realize they had already landed. Slowly she shifted her stiff joints and hopped down, her ankles stinging for a moment from the height and stiffness.

"We will rest here for the night, I will return shortly," Sesshomaru curtly stated as he started to walk off into the tree line.

Kagome was left staring at his retreating back, where was he going? She sighed and decided she should gather some fire wood before it grew too dark, after all even if he didn't need a fire, she was human and did need to stay warm. Being alone as she was Kagome kept her senses on high alert for anything that was out of place as she scavenged the tree line for loose branches to build the fire with, a small branch rustled somewhere near by causing her to jerk her head around fast enough to see the little fluffy tail of a rabbit leap off into the bushes. Relief slowly eased back to her as she made her way back to the tiny clearing with the branches held away from her to avoid getting her clothes dirty, just because she was on a mission didn't mean she had to run around filthy and stinky.

The sun began to set as Kagome stacked the wood like a teepee and dug the flint out of the pocket hidden in the bottom of the quiver that was given to her just earlier that day, a few moments ticked by as she attempted to strike a flame, finally a small spark caught onto the dead matsu needles, leaning down she blew just a little air to the flame and fed it more dead needles to be sure there was enough to keep it going until the branches could catch flame. After a few minutes and feeling safe without worry that the fire would die out now, Kagome got up to gather the sleeping matt off Ah-Un's back and unrolled it on the ground fairly close to the warm fire. A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back against a sturdy young tree and stared into the bright flames.

"Trying to scare me, Sesshomaru," Kagome silently said into what appeared to be nothing more than the air, she pulled her eyes away from the flames and shifted her position to look back behind her at the treeline, without a sound he appeared out of the darkness. She had sensed him there for at least two minutes before speaking.

"Do you want to be afraid, girl? I assure you I am very capable of doing so before killing you." Came his cool reply drifting across the area, as he got closer she noticed that he was holding something, raising an eyebrow she silently stared at the object. As he got closer she recognized it as the corpse of a rabbit, already skinned and drained, though not a drop of blood was seen anywhere on him.

Without a word he raised his hand and tossed it to her, Kagome caught it out of reflex, both her eyebrows shooting up in confusion as she stared down at the rabbit then back up at him. Surely he didn't expect her to cook his food for him? As she was just about to question him he cut her off before the words could escape her lips.

"Eat," He simply stated in a tone that implied she didn't have a right to refuse. Without another word he walked over to a tree and sat down under it, not giving her another moment of his attention, his eyes slipped up to stare into the sky. Kagome stared at him closely, it was obvious he had no intentions of speaking with her any further, she glanced down at the rabbit and slowly stood, she needed to find a long thin stick she could spear it with for cooking. After a couple minutes she found two sticks suitable to hold a single stick that could be placed in the middle above the fire, she quietly made short work of the task and once finished, sat back down and watched the rabbit roast over the fire.

A small sigh escaped Kagome's lips as her mind reeled with thoughts, why did he hunt for her? She had assumed that he'd require her to find food on her own, the thought of him hunting for her just seemed like too generous a thing for him to be capable of. _Well that's not really fair Kagome, you don't even know him, _she mentally chided herself. But she'd never seen kindness from him before, not before today, but really how much time had she ever actually been in his company for that matter. Still her mind questioned his actions, did he think her incapable of hunting for herself? Or that she would refuse to eat again?

Kagome wasn't sure if she should thank him or feel insulted, her blue eyes traveled over to his figure as she got up to check on the food, finding it ready she removed it from over the fire and pulled the small knife from her pocket and cut a chunk of meat loose. Staring down at the meat she hovered there debating, with a sigh she resigned to just thanking him, his motives still unknown but the gesture still stood.

"Thank you, for this," she motioned to the food, "would you like some," she thought it was only polite to ask, though she highly suspected that he would refuse.

"I'm fine," was the only response she got, and really all she had expected. Slightly nodding her head she cut more of the meat off to save for breakfast, she had grown used to being on the road over the last two years, going through it routinely without thought anymore. The swish of her hakama the only sound between them as she walked back over to her spot and ate her food without another word, chewing thoughtfully as her mind went back to his actions around Rin, so he really did have an attachment to the little girl. Not so very long ago she wouldn't have believed him even capable of emotions, he really was a puzzle to her now, she didn't know what to make of it.

As the sun completely set behind the horizon Sesshomaru watched Kagome through hooded eyes, he watched her settle down onto the mat laid out and pull the wool blanket up to her shoulders, she stared into the low flames. She was fighting sleep, he had no doubt why, a small yawn escaped her lips, a brief flash of her white teeth against the darkness, as the minutes ticked by he knew her battle would be soon over. He could hear the steady beat of her heart, her steady breathes, as she succumbed to sleep he took the moment to openly watch her. Sesshomaru didn't think that he'd get so lucky to have someone as quiet as himself to travel with, but it also irked at him for reasons he didn't understand, he knew it was unnatural for this girl to be so silent. Though the silence wasn't so bad at the moment, it gave him time to just take in the sounds around him.

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Kagome stifled back a scream as her eyes shot open, heart pounding against her chest like a hammer, her hand clutched tightly at her chest. Taking deep breathes in she quickly began to get herself under control. Everything was alright she wasn't dying, she wasn't in any physical pain, she was awake and safe. She kept her focus on taking breathes as was her usual routine by this time, her eyes slowly scanning the area for dangers as a precaution. Deep blue eyes caught on the white that was Sesshomaru, she focused on him as her heart began to steady itself once more, unwilling to close her eyes for even a moment.

Her eyes scanned over the sharp lines of his form in the moonlight, he knew she was awake she was sure, but still he didn't turn around or even move. His perfect posture didn't waver as he stood guard over them, a white knight against the black sky, Kagome nearly smiled at the very thought, she pulled the blanket closer as the cool night air sent small shivers up along her spine. She nestled deeper into the warmth, her gaze never wavering from him even as her lids slowly closed on her once more, too tired to fight off the sleep anymore for the night.

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**A/N: I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise the next chapter will have some badassness from Kagome and Sesshomaru in all their demon slaying glory, least I hope I can pull it off well haha. I just wanted to also add that I'm still looking for a beta reader to correct any mistakes I may make and offer advice to produce a better chapter all together, also saves me time to have to reread what I write lol. Please contact me if you're interested and Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5: May

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: Well another chapter up, another lack of sleep night, for some reason my brain only becomes active to write when I feel like a zombie. I'm not so sure that's a good thing, ne? But being a night owl I guess anything earlier is just to slurred to my brain, part of the reason this chapter was delayed is because of my lack of resolve for certain aspects in this story: when/where/how etc you know. So, I hope I didn't take too long getting this out and lose anyone's interest D: I don't wanna lose any readers! But if I rush it out I could potentially mess this up and present something really confusing and utterly unreadable. Well I'm done blabbing now- I tend to talk a lot when tired…*yawn* Let me know what you think so far, someone asked me about Sango, Miroku, and Shippo. And I'd be willing to answer you but I'm not sure if Everyone wants an answer to that so please e-mail me if you wish to know my plans/or lack of, in that area.**

**Please Review!**

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Chapter 5: May

"Sesshomaru!," Kagome screamed out as a flash of razor sharp claws came desperately close to slashing his neck wide open, Sesshomaru leapt back swiftly away from the humongous water dragon that had attacked him.

Quickly Sesshomaru retaliated as a wave of poison poured from his fingertips, but before the acid reached it's target the large demon moved out of range, the movement so fast it was just a blur. Sensing it's new location to be behind him Sesshomaru side stepped and drew up his sword in time to parry the attack aimed for the back of his neck. The water dragon was very intent on his decision to lop his head off, swiftly it jumped back away from him before he could make an attack of his own.

_So it does possess some intelligence, _Sesshomaru silently mused to himself, his golden eyes scanned the length and size of the large brownish green demon, it's scales glistened in the sun light casting different hues designed to distract and momentarily disable it's enemies. A deep resounding mirthful laugh flowing from it's tawny mouth.

"Thisss is all you've got? I expected more of a challenge, after your boasssting about taking my ssshard away from me after all," It slithered out like a snake, a mocking smile spreading over it's face showing the sharp teeth within it's mouth. "face it dog, you and your mate will die here today by my claws!"

Gracefully Sesshomaru leapt forward with amazing speed and slashed forward across it's chest but the attack hit thin air. His eyes widening momentarily as he felt the stabbing pain of a razor sharp claw drag down along his arm. He stumbled forward from the sudden attack and leapt away before another blow could be landed on him. The Shikon no Tama shard had greatly increased this demons power, he had to put an end to this right now.

Kagome screamed out in shock and worry as she witnessed the attack land and slice right down his arm, with his only arm injured would he be able to fight? She knew he couldn't allow himself to lose to such a demon but the strain of worry wouldn't be quieted so easily, he was in pain and she was going to put an end to this mess. But before she could devise a plan she realized the demon was looking at her now, her scream had pulled it's attention away from him. _Good, _she thought, her face sharpening into a determined expression, coldly she recited a chant Miroku had taught her long ago as she fired off an arrow at the water demon.

It leapt back and away but not before losing half of it's tail due to her powerful attack, cursing as it wailed out in pain, "We're Not mates, demon, get that straight before I end Your life!" She knocked another arrow and began to chant once more but the laugh that bellowed from the creature this time was shocking and maniacal.

"Oh really?," it sneered at her, "then tell me _girl_, why do you reek of him, if you're not mates then you two Must be very clo-," it's sentence was cut off suddenly by an attack from Sesshomaru. His sword making a landing blow and slashing across it's back.

"That is enough, it's time for you to die, do not feed yourself full of false hope that you can defeat this Sesshomaru." Sesshomaru stated as the demon screeched out in pain, thrashing about it's tail -what was left of it- leaving destruction in it's wake, it's red eyes filled with rage as it quickly lunged forward at him. It's claws meeting air as Sesshomaru took advantage of the opening, Toukijin cutting a deep gash through it's stomach leaving a waterfall of blood to flow out of the nearly incapacitated demon, in desperation the demon gathered energy into it's mouth; no doubt about to fire off a large energy beam at Sesshomaru.

Kagome saw her chance as the shot became clear, without a second thought she poured her holy energy over the arrow in a wave as she released it, it luckily flew true and exploded into the demons chest with a shattering loud crack. White light flashed blindingly as the demon was shredded by the massive amount of holy power, landing in a bloody heap on the ground below Sesshomaru, who stared impassively at the demon and back at her. With the current danger over now Kagome couldn't help but stare at him in return, her blue eyes taking in his sleek figure, the wind blowing softly through his silver hair. Momentarily her fingers twitched at the thought of what it would feel like but all thoughts vanished as soon as they had come. Her eyes landed on the long gash flowing down his only arm, he was hurt and that needed tending to even if he was a demon and didn't want any help.

Swiftly Sesshomaru sheathed Toukijin and softly touched down onto the ground, cold eyes stared down at what was left of the demon once that girl had finished with it, inwardly his youki cringed at the holy aura still emitting from the corps. He silently waited for her to catch up to gather the shard he couldn't see in the mass, after a moment of her searching she found what she was looking for and plucked the tiny sliver out of it's right arm, it purified instantly in her hands before she turned to place it in the tiny pouch she had tied to her waist. Eager to be away from the mess she began to walk away back to Ah-Un, the mount was around a hundred yards away, clear of the battle field. Her eyes were glued to her surroundings as her feet carried her, but then she noticed he hadn't moved, Kagome half turned and gave him a questioning look.

"Is there a problem, Sesshomaru?," She questioned as she looked up into his eyes, his empty mask in place as always, Kagome had learned to look for answers through those golden depths. It was the only clue to what he was thinking, even if she couldn't read him all the time, it was much more to go on that anything his face had produced. But his eyes didn't give her any hints to what was on his mind.

"No," He curtly replied before walking ahead, pausing as he reached her, "you should work on restraining yourself, lest you drive away anything with a heartbeat within a days walk," and then he was in front of her, leaving her to stammer after him.

"H-hai…" Kagome stared at his retreating back a few moments before briskly catching up to him and took her position beside him but still keeping their respective personal space. After spending a month alone with Sesshomaru on the daily basis Kagome realized his comment even in it's monotone and a bit harsh, it was a compliment from him to her strength, as close as it would get coming from the taiyoukai beside her.

Reaching Ah-Un Kagome grabbed her bag and pulled out a long thin bandage and began to walk over to Sesshomaru, his eyebrow twitched slightly for the briefest second, a small smile took over her lips at the little slip. "Allow me to bandage that,"

"It will heal before nightfall," he stated as he looked down at the large gash.

"Yes but well, the blood will draw unwanted attention to us before then, which I think we'd both rather not deal with," she pointed out logically.

"I'm capable of wrapping it myself," he fired back.

"Oh I know but it will just save us a bit of time if I do it, besides I've done this plenty of times before so I won't take but a minute and we'll be ready to go again," she inched closer and took his silence as confirmation. Sesshomaru resigned to amuse her and stared down at her as she wrapped his arm skillfully, idly wondering just how many times she had to tend to wounds, had Inuyasha really been so incapable of battle without injury that they were left with wounds often? His eyes trailed along a long thin scar over her neck that disappeared into the fabric of her hoary, his nose caught her scent and momentarily he lost himself in the light pleasant scent of honeysuckle and lilac.

"There, all done," Kagome finished securing the bandage and stared up to find him watching her, she blushed and hesitantly stepped back and took up residence along side him, he inspected the bandage with a critical eye for a moment before nodding and in silence they began to walk once again. Idly she tried to clear her mind and shove away the nervousness she had felt from the small contact and close proximity. Silently she wondered Why Sesshomaru hadn't out right denied what the water demon had said, did he believe the demon just wasn't worth his time to correct? What did the demon mean anyway, she knew they walked side by side and his scent might linger on her a bit but from her understanding of the dragons words- she was covered in his scent. No demon had ever said anything like that before…it didn't make sense. With a sigh she tried to shove those thoughts away as well.

Kagome was finding it hard to slip into the nothingness she had grown accustomed to after the incident. Everything just swirled around in her now, like bright colors flashing through her mind, and she too often found herself staring at Sesshoumaru from the corner of her eye, he confused her to no ends. At first she thought he was a cold hearted demon that was only out for power, how could she not after their past encounters? Her eyes flicked over to him and quickly away again, but not before seeing the barest hint of amusement in his eyes, as he noticed her attention on him. It was kind of scary to Kagome, how she had begun to learn how to read him. He never showed any expressions on his face, occasionally his stance would shift slightly and his eyes would change, that being the only things she learned how to read over their time.

Sesshomaru slowed his pace just a fraction when Kagome started to fall behind a bit, though it wasn't really enough to be noticeable it didn't escape her attention. Inwardly Kagome growled in frustration, why was she noticing such small details and why did she even consider the gesture worth noting on to begin with. She wished the numbness would just come back, and come back with a vengeance, she'd much rather feel nothing than feel so awake so damn often. Why couldn't this whole thing just blur by and be over with already, instead it felt like the world had slowed down to a torturous crawl. Silently she stared over at Ah-Un who leisurely flew just to the left side above them, they only rode on him when they needed to gain a lot of ground within the day. A sigh escaped her lips as she was swallowed up in the sounds around her and the sun beating down against her, she wanted a bath…

Sesshomaru wasn't exactly sure what to make of her position, by all rights she should walk behind him, not next to him. But he didn't get the indication from her that she felt it as a challenge, to prove she was on the same stature as him, not in the least actually. He was beginning to assume that wherever she had come from, this was a normal occurrence, so he allowed it. Plus it also allowed him to keep a closer eye on her when needed, his eyes shifted over to her when he felt her gaze on him, a light pink blush flushed to her cheeks in embarrassment. She was quite the little puzzle indeed, how could such raw power reside in a being so small? He wondered as his eyes swept over her frail form, he had wondered this very question many times now but still hadn't found an answer. She was human, but much more all the same, in their battles he had seen her strength and couldn't deny it.

* * *

~A few hours later~

"We stop here for the night," Sesshomaru said, startling Kagome out of her thoughts of a hot bath just in time to avoid colliding head on into his shoulder, when had she gotten so close, quickly she side stepped to gain her balance back and nodded. Taking in the area around her Kagome searched for signs of water, as if reading her mind Sesshomaru glanced over to her east. "There is a spring just over that rock formation, do not wander far, I will be back shortly." He then turned around and walked away, off to hunt her supper no doubt, it had become a routine and she couldn't deny that she found it endearing now. After this long he knew she was capable but still continued to supply her meals. Her attention on full alert to her surroundings, Kagome gathered a fresh pair of clothes and soap from her pack and made her way to the spring, her lips quirking up at the idea of not bathing in a freezing cold river bed.

Reaching the spring she glanced around to be sure there was no one around before stripping off her clothes and stepping into the water, grateful to find that it wasn't too cold, actually it felt very nice against the dying days heat. Keeping her bow and quiver close by she sunk down fully into the water with a sigh, taking a minute to simply enjoy the cool water over her heated body, relaxing her pent up muscles into butter. As the sounds of wildlife around her gave her clear indication nothing was amiss she allowed herself to close her eyes and sank completely into the water. Her mind wandered back to the silver haired demon she traveled with, her heart lurched painfully for a moment as a flash of Inuyasha went through her mind, she broke her head free of the water and sighed. She knew he wouldn't want her to grieve her life away but it was hard to let go…

Absently she grabbed the soap and began to clean her body as her mind once again took on another train of thought, her friends and family, how she missed them. Sango's sisterly love and understanding, Miroku's wisdom albeit lecherous at most times, Shippo's adoring mischief. Her family.. _Mom would know how I feel…likely she could give me some advice to dealing with this…. _she sighed at her thoughts, she just wanted her mothers embrace and comfort, even ojii-san's history lessons would make her feel at least somewhat normal again. Sota always managed to make her feel like she had no other stress than dealing with a preteen annoying brother if anything else, but she loved him all the same, all of them. Coming back out of her thoughts she finished up her bath, she had to get back to the camp before the sun set, and Sesshomaru would be back soon, she had to get the fire started soon unless she wanted a late meal.

* * *

She ate in silence as usual, Sesshomaru sat resting against a tree off to her left not far away, thoughtfully she glanced over at him. The light of the fire casting his hair into a contract that tugged at her attention before she moved on to his face, the dark magenta stripes stopping her inspection, _I wonder if the skin is raised or smooth as the rest of his face? _she wondered as she chewed on her bottom lip, a surge of bravery went through her all of a sudden. She put her food down beside her and stood, gaining his attention to her, there was that confused look in his eyes again. He hid it quickly as he waited for her to speak, she moved closer to him, determination in her blue eyes. _What is she up to?, _he wondered as she moved to sit in front of him.

"Um…Sesshomaru, I know this might sound crazy to you and utterly pointless but…could I…test something please?" She half stammered out as she avoided eye contact for staring at the bark of the tree behind him. Test something? What could she be wanting to test? The confusion was back and stronger now, she gulped and waited for his approval. Taking a moment to consider it- whatever she had in mind, he reasoned it couldn't hurt to entertain her once more, he nodded slightly and watched her closely. She blushed suddenly as she hesitantly raised her hand, her fingertips touched the crescent moon on his forehead and ran lightly over his skin. She bit her lower lip as the blush grew darker, her hand came closer to cup along the side of his face and ran along his cheek, what was she doing? He wasn't used to such contact.

The skin didn't rise or fall with the markings, no it was just as smooth as the rest of his face, she drew her hand away from his face and scooted back away. _Whew, least that's out of my system now_, she glanced up at him and was relieved that she didn't find anger or disgust in those golden depths. "Thank you, I'm sorry if I was intrusive. Curiosity killed the cat you know?" No he didn't know, that expression was beyond his current years, but he said nothing and watched her get up and move back to her place near the fire. His face still tingled from her touch, though it was light he could still feel it, what kind of test was that? His markings? She was thinking about his markings? Shouldn't he feel disgusted that she was thinking of him at all? But he wasn't… that disturbed him more than her touch. No, actually her touch was quite pleasant, though it shouldn't be so, inwardly he scoffed at himself and closed his eyes to rest.

Kagome yawned as she placed her plate down next to her bag and pulled out the wool blanket, it was now time for sleep. With a full stomach Kagome laid down onto her matt and stared up into the dark star filled sky above her, the fire softly crackled and added to the sound of nightlife beyond their small camp, the sounds rocked her into a sleep as images of silver and magenta played across her closed eyes. Sesshomaru cracked open an eye and watched her drift off to sleep, deftly his hand came up to touch his cheek as he watched the movement of her breathing, rising and falling rhythmically. She really was hard to understand, a real challenge, but Sesshomaru loved a good challenge. He would figure out her strange behaviors and what went on in that raven haired head of hers. Tonight would be one of the occasional nights she slept without waking with a scream in her lungs, without the sorrowful look in her eyes, and the scent of desperation and fear pouring off her body.

* * *

**A/N: It's me again, I just wanted to also let everyone know I've written a little one shot Bleach songfic starring Kira and Hinamori and I would LOVE IT if you guys would give it a read and share your thoughts! :) The next chapter shouldn't take me too long, so long as my brain doesn't go into melt down yet again, but in the mean time please take a moment to give that a read while I storm up some more idea's for Sesshy and Kagome.**

**Please Review!**


	6. Chapter 6: June

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: Yeah I know I lied, it's been a while since I said I'd post this one soon. My excuse is that I've been revising… A LOT. A friend of mine is attempting to help me write properly and I've been second guessing myself often. Not to mention that I've been busy, and due to my new knowledge about how badly my writing skills are lacking I've just been shying away from writing lol. As a kind of apology for the wait I've made this chapter longer, If there's anyone still interested in this story that is. So here it is…**

* * *

Chapter 6: June

It didn't take Kagome very long to begin to recognize her surroundings as she knew the town off their right just at a glance, this was a neighboring town of Kaede's village. Settled maybe two miles away from Inuyasha's forest. The place where it all began, and the place where it would take her home…..Home…oh how she missed her family, the ache lurched forward as thoughts of home filled her mind sporadically. Images of her mother, brother, and grandfather's smiling faces. The prickling of tears forming around the corners of her eyes, how long had it been now since she saw them last?

Kagome sighed, how on earth was she going to explain to Sesshomaru that she was from another time? She made a sneak peak to him, biting her lower lip as her mind went into overdrive. She didn't know how to say it but more importantly- how was he going to take that knowledge?

"Sesshomaru?" Kagome attentively called, her eyes down cast as she waited for his reply.

"Yes?" Sesshomaru glanced over at her, wondering why she suddenly felt so at unease.

"We…need to talk," she whispered, her eyes never straying from the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Honestly, what good ever came after those words? His brain started to invent reasons for her unusual behavior and frustration began to weave it's way into him already.

"About?" he deliberated calmly, though inside he began to feel anxious.

"There are things about me you are unaware of," Kagome continued to whisper, seemingly afraid to speak any louder.

"I'm well aware of that, but what does that have to do with our situation?" Sesshomaru questioned. Why was she so hesitant?

"Well you're going to think I'm crazy, and probably accuse me of actions that would leave me mentally incapacitated," she said half jokingly, but her underlying tone betrayed that she really did fear he'd reject her- whatever it is she was trying to say. Did she always dawdle like this when she was so nervous? He wasn't sure what she was unsure of, only that he wished she would get down to it.

"I'm listening," he clarified, his tone softening ever slightly to hopefully persuade her to continue without so much delaying.

"Er…well you see… ok, maybe it's better to just show you rather than attempt to explain, you wouldn't believe me for a second if I told you anyway," she drawled out slowly as her rational mind knew what his conclusion would be. Yes, she would show him, Kagome nodded her head as if to confirm her mental debate. In her excitement she grabbed his hand and tugged on him, "Come with me, Ah-Un will get us there quicker, I'll show you My world." She stated it with such energy he found himself just starring at her as she lead him, he'd never seen her so excited before. Considering all she'd been through, it couldn't hurt, that and the underlying curiosity was gripping at his mind stronger than ever before. He wanted to know what she meant by 'her world'; was it really so different than anyone else's? Only one way to find out.

She kept tugging on him, knowing full well that she couldn't budge him if he so chose to stop, but that didn't seem to detour her in the least. Golden eyes traveled down at her insistent tugging hand and back to her face, a small nod acknowledged her little action. A quick sharp whistle later and Ah-Un landed close by, upon reaching the dragon they mounted and set forth to her destination. Kagome couldn't hold back the smile, the very idea of seeing her family so uplifting she felt like she may grow a pair of her own wings. It wouldn't be long now, she could feel the pent up anxiety starting to ebb away. Suddenly she realized that she STILL hadn't let go of him, she shyly released his hand. The most shocking part of it was that he hadn't reacted harshly and pulled away.

Well he hadn't really responded at all, but the simple fact he didn't shove her away in disgust was enough to put her mind at ease over the little slip. In his own way, the great Lord Sesshomaru really was relenting and considerate. She wasn't sure she could deal with anger or resentment right now, her eyes trailed over his back, perhaps he was starting to grow on her too much. After all, if she was reading that much into such a simple act, how could she deny her own thoughts? Kagome shook her head, trying to empty her mind completely. Really was it so hard to Not think of himwithout constant questions floating around?

* * *

Kagome hesitated at the edge of the tree lining, here they were again, back at the place of her worst nightmare. It was terrifying, and she wasn't sure if she could even make it to the well now. Her breath lodged itself in her throat, her heart constricted, slowly her vision began to swim and blur. The clearing was bright and peaceful, but all she could see were darkness and red. Kagome swayed from the weight of it all, feeling her body tilting over, but soon found herself against something warm and solid. He was holding her up, his arm rested slightly against her ribcage, his cool gaze finding her stunned blue eyes.

Sesshomaru knew she had to be seeing the past, the fear that reeked off her was proof enough, but she had wanted to come here. He wasn't sure what was important about this place, only that she had been persistent to come back here. Was she having regrets now? She was falling apart right in front of him, silently he probed her eyes in an attempt to gain some knowledge to her sudden strange behavior. He caught her before she could fall over, his arm catching under her ribs, she stared up at him blankly- seeing right through him for a moment before her vision cleared.

Those golden eyes, they were haunting yet comforting all at once, Kagome unconsciously leaned into him. He was warm and so solid, it was hard not to take comfort in such a simple thing. He was here and she wasn't completely alone. A sigh escaped her dry lips as she took a step and looked at the dry well, she had to move forward. Her family was right on the other side of that well. Sesshomaru definitely wasn't one to show much of anything, but he was right beside her as she stepped forward, a silent testimony that he wouldn't leave her side. Her legs were shaking with each step, but she slowly she found her way over to the well without breaking apart.

"Fallow me down the rabbit hole," Kagome half heartedly joked in attempt to shake the anxiety off, a slight shiver in her voice as she looked down into the blackness. She caught the confusion in his eyes and reached out to grasp his hand yet again as she jumped into the well, pulling him with her, for once Kagome saw the actual shock filter across his face as they fell through the bottom.

~~~Other side of the Well~~~

"What is this?" Sesshomaru questioned her in a low accusing tone, belittling the expression he wore just moments ago. His eyes scanning the walls of the well and up, where had the sky went? Sesshomaru could see the beams of wood, supporting the structure above them. The well was now covered? No, something was definitely not right here..

"This is My time…My world," Kagome said slowly, she half expected him to attack her in a fit of anger for her rash behavior. Though, luckily for her, he didn't and that was always a good start. Hastily she let go of his hand and began to slowly climb up the wall, gasping when she suddenly felt sharp claws resting against her back, halting her movement.

Her time? Oh she better start explaining herself, this wasn't amusing anymore. Sesshomaru was a somewhat patient person, but she had been wearing it thin as of late, and he wasn't going to keep playing her little game. Kagome could swear she heard the taiyoukai behind her sigh, or perhaps it was her imagination, she wasn't exactly sure but the iron grip wasn't relenting. Kagome craned her neck to see him, and waved a hand in defeat, "When we get to the top I'll explain, can you please let me go now?"

He didn't let her go, Kagome gasped again as she suddenly felt weightless, _of course you're so impatient you couldn't wait that long.., _she thought a little miffed, he could've warned her first. But then again, she hadn't exactly gave him much a warning either when she pulled him in. On the other hand, his actions did do the task faster and now she found herself being set back down onto the ground. Sesshomaru coolly looked down at her, obviously waiting for her to explain herself.

Kagome stepped back, now, where to even begin…Well the beginning sounded like the obvious place to start. _I'll just tell him, and before he can try to drag me off I will prove it, _Kagome stared up into his face- easier said than done. "Sesshomaru, I'm from the future." Kagome quickly said, "I can, and will, prove it. But first I need a little time to explain to my mother, about what happened to…" She didn't finish nor was it necessary to. Kagome pushed aside her thoughts, she'd tell her mother, but she still had a job to do and now wasn't the time to lose herself. She had only just recently began to feel somewhat normal once again.

Did she honestly expect him to believe this? Sesshomaru couldn't be sure how they came to be standing inside a small building, but her explanation just sounded too ludicrous to be real. Now she wanted to go out there alone, unprotected, to speak to her mother? He could feel her eyes probing and pleading before even looking into them. He was growing too soft, he didn't like the idea of yet again yielding to her requests, specially when in such a ridiculous situation.

"I know I sound insane, but just give me half an hour," Kagome trudged on, "then I will come back for you and prove to you that I'm not lying," she pleaded.

Sesshomaru inwardly growled at himself, he did know she was capable of taking care of herself, it was just the situation itself that caused him to feel so reluctant. Silently he damned Rin and the girl in front of him, before grudgingly nodding his consent. She smiled brightly and bowed before running out into the unknown, and out of his sight. He may as well put a big "pet me" sign around his neck, damn Rin for making him grow a conscience, and damn Kagome for- whatever it was exactly she was doing to him anymore. She was his responsibility, he wasn't sure when it happened but somewhere the line blurred and she wasn't just a nameless human shard detector. He would protect her, even though he was unsure of what exactly she was to him now, but right now she was making it difficult.

* * *

Kagome quickly slid the side door open, "Mom?" she called, "Ojii-san? Sota?" in a flash she had removed her shoes and was running through the house.

"Kagome?" her mother called and rounded the corner, relief flooded over her face. Faster than Kagome thought her mother capable of the older woman was holding her tightly, tears streaming down her face, her grip only tightening as a sob escaped her lips.

"Kagome, you haven't been back in four months, what were you thinking? You had me- us all worried to death!" She pulled her daughter down with her to the couch, "I thought I had lost you, Kagome!" Mrs. Higurashi choked out.

"I'm so sorry mom, I didn't want to worry anyone so much!" Kagome hugged her mother back tightly, her mind reeling in thought, it had been four months now? She knew it had been a while, but she hadn't guessed it was that long. She felt terribly guilty for not finding a way back sooner, but instead had been wallowing in her own pain.

After a few minutes of assuring herself that her daughter was, in fact, here Mrs. Higurashi relented her grip on Kagome and tried to compose herself. "Mom, where is Sota and Ojii-san?" Kagome looked around for the rest of her family, but finding no one else around.

"They are out to the store but will be back soon, Kagome, are you alright?" Her mother leaned back, her large brown eyes searching for any injuries. Something was off, Mrs. Higurashi knew her daughter very well, and she could sense the change even after only a few minutes of having her daughter back.

Her mother always did know when something was amiss with her. Kagome frowned, well there was no more delaying it now, may as well tell her now before Sesshomaru came crashing in. Blue eyes clashed with brown, Kagome cleared her throat and took a moment to make sure she had herself in check, "Mom, there's something I need to tell you, well a whole series of something's actually." Kagome cupped her mothers hand as she spoke, and proceeded to tell her mother all that had happened from that fateful day and up until today.

* * *

Surprisingly Kagome found herself feeling better, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, she quickly linked the feeling to her mother. Her mother always knew what to say or do to make her feel at least somewhat better, a sigh escaped Kagome's lips as she leaned back against the foot of the couch as her mother brushed her hair. She had always found comfort in this, and should she have been a cat youki she was sure she'd be purring right now. She didn't know how she did it, it had only been minutes ago that she told her mother everything and now here she sat, no painful images or feeling like she was breaking apart.

A small smile plastered on her face as her mother hummed an old lullaby she used to sing to her as a child, "You're hair has gotten so long, Kagome, it suits you." She smiled as her fingers lightly scraped against Kagome's skull. "I will be sure to pack you up much more shampoo before you go" Mrs. Higurashi sighed, knowing she wouldn't have her daughters company for very long.

Suddenly Kagome tensed for a moment and frowned, was there something wrong? Kagome huffed before reluctantly standing, _has it really been half an hour already? _she wondered, her brow furrowed as she cool feel him gaining ground. He'd be at the door any moment now, a strained smile formed on her lips as she turned around to her mother. _He better be on his best behavior or I'll kill em, _she laughed hesitantly and inched her way back towards the kitchen and ultimately the door, "I'll be right back Mom! Just have to ..take care of something really quick." She ducked out the door to confront him but soon realized her mother had fallowed her.

She noticed him immediately, swiftly walking his way over to her, aggravation and confusion etched into his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. Kagome heard her mother gasp from behind her, _oh boy…here goes.., _quickly she turned around to face her mother but before she could speak her mother asked the obvious, "is that him?"

Kagome nodded, "Yeah… he's as impatient as ever, I asked him to wait in the shrine.." Mrs. Higurashi side stepped around her daughter for a better look.

"Oh, he's very handsome" she said with a little laugh. At her daughters scandalous look she blinked and feigned shock, "What? Don't you think so?" A blush crept up Kagome's face as she waved her hands and mumbled something unintelligible.

Mrs. Higurashi lightly nudged her daughter, "Kagome, now that I think about it, how does his significant other feel about you traveling with him?" This caused Kagome to go into another perplexed stammer and shake her head. "So, he's already off the market?" Mrs. Higurashi nudged her again with a innocent smile on her face. She meant no harm or to insult Inuyasha at all nor to insult how her daughter had felt for the boy, but she hadn't missed the change in Kagome when she spoke of Inuyasha's elder brother. She obviously harbored feelings for her traveling companion, even if she didn't realize it herself. Kagome blushed brighter and was about to gently reprimand her mother but Sesshomaru was already upon them.

Kagome stepped up and stood in front of Sesshomaru, rubbing the back of her neck as she rocked back on her heels. "Mom, this is Sesshomaru-san, Sesshomaru-san this is my mother," she said nervously in an awkward try for introduction. Sesshomaru simply nodded and shockingly took Mrs. Higurashi's hand, leaving Kagome standing there with her mouth agape in surprise. Mrs. Higurashi blushed and bowed before glancing over at her daughter, the smile on her face only growing wider.

All too soon after that Kagome set forth to proving to Sesshomaru she was, truthfully, from the future.

* * *

Sesshomaru glanced over at Mrs. Higurashi as she prepared various strange items into a large pack for Kagome, he couldn't place his slim clawed finger on it but she was up to something. The grin on her face was entirely too cunning for a human to bare, Sesshomaru could almost picture fox ears and a tail sprouting out to rectify his suspicions. Kagome was still upstairs taking a hot bath, she refused to simply return right after convincing him and answering his questions about their current time. Sesshomaru sighed inwardly, now the boy, Sota, was staring at him and inching closer by the minute. He wished she'd hurry up with her infernal bath.

"Sota dear, could you please get the cake from the fridge, I need to collect the birthday girl from her bath" Mrs. Higurashi said with a bright smile.

"Hai, sure mom!" He replied with such energy it left Sesshomaru thinking of Rin, and so he was left in his thoughts until he caught her scent from the stairway.

It was quite ironic, Kagome mused, that she would return home the very day of her birthday. Mrs. Higurashi wrapped her arm around her daughters waist and lugged her down the stairs and into the kitchen, plopping her down into a chair and placing her favorite food-oden, in front of her. Kagome squealed in excitement and thanked her mother, and before long the bowl before her was empty. Sesshomaru was mildly amused at how fast she consumed the food, even more so when she fell over with a grin on her face in obvious contentment. Briefly he wondered what the odd smelling food was and what it tasted like.

"Kagome," the old man, her grandfather, called out to her as he made his way over to where she laid sprawled out. "Are you ready for your birthday gifts?" he said, smiling down at his only granddaughter with pride. She was a priestess, a high nobility in his eyes and even before that she always showed a rare strength that couldn't help but be treasured.

Kagome sat up and smiled at her grandfather, "Hai, Ojii-san." She caught sight of her mother and Sota coming over to her with gifts of their own for her, her mother being the first to hand her a small box with a bow on top.

"Your father gave me this on our first anniversary, I'd like you to have it now, Kagome." She smiled down at her daughter and sat down next to her.

Looking down at the little box in her hands Kagome gave the bow a little tug and pulled it away, slowly she opened the box wondering what could be inside. Sitting inside the box was a small golden locket, etched into it were intricate patterns over the surface, it was simply beautiful. Tears pricked at her eyes as she lightly brushed her finger over it, without a word she reached over and hugged her mother tightly, "Thank you mom!"

"Me next!" Sota exclaimed as he pushed a box into her hands, a shy smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Kagome looked up at her younger brother before looking back down at his gift, quickly she opened it and laying inside the safety of foam was a charm bracelet. It sparkled up at her as if it was winking in the dull light of the room. She didn't think that he was even capable of finding something so pretty, she stared at the intricate charms of roses and kanji. Immediately she put it on and examined it closely as it rested against her pale skin. Looking back up to her little brother she pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair, "It's perfect Sota, I won't take it off. Thank you."

Last but not least she looked up at her grandfather as he handed her a larger box than the previous two, she opened the weathered paper box gently, afraid to possibly break it and it's contents. Kagome gasped as she found herself looking at the high gloss finish of a beautiful box, a jewelry box she assumed. "It's been in the family for years now, and now that you're eighteen I'd like to hand it down to you." he softly said. Opening the lid her ears were greeted with a soft melodic tune, one that her mother often hummed to her at night to put her to sleep. Kagome hastily wiped the tears away that began to flow from her eyes, logically she couldn't really explain her tears, it was only a melody. Yet it hit home, her eyes drifted closed as the melody melted into her.

Sesshomaru wasn't sure what to think about this, silently he had watched the exchanges from a distance, but when she began to cry over the music he was at a loss. Did the melody truly hold something over her? He could admit that it was wistful and capturing but it surely held her on a deeper level, mentally he took a note to ask her of it's importance later. Kagome hugged her grandfather tightly and kissed his cheek, thanking him for his treasured gift to her, slowly she stood and walked over to her bag. Gently she placed her locket into the jewelry box and placed that inside the large bag. Kagome glanced over at Sesshomaru as he rose and walked outside to give her some privacy to say her goodbyes with her family.

"Thank you guys for the gifts, I love them. You know, you all mean more to me than you could ever know and I'm sorry I had you all worried for me" She blushed as she walked back over to them, hugging them all tightly before backing away. "I'm not exactly sure when I'll be able to come back for another visit, but don't worry for me. Sesshomaru may be a quiet one but he's far from a push over, and I'll be safe under his protection."

"Kagome… come back just as soon as you can ok?" Mrs. Higurashi brushed a stray lock of hair back behind Kagome's ear and hugged her briefly once more before releasing her. Kagome strapped on her bag and stepped back, then headed for the door. "I should go now before he comes back to fetch me, I love you mom, Sota, Ojii-san." She smiled through the tears in her eyes, taking a mental picture of her family before slipping out the door and heading for the well shrine in the fading light of dusk. Finding Sesshomaru waiting for her at the well's lip, she nodded to him and jumped down into the well with him fallowing right behind her.

With a sigh Mrs. Higurashi watched her go, hoping and praying to God that her daughter would be alright. She wasn't just worried for her daughter physically, but emotionally as well. Brown eyes searched the dark clouds as the sun fully set, a frown marring her usually serene face. She had seen her daughters eyes grow dim and pained whenever her mind wandered off to another time, she didn't have a doubt her thoughts were on Inuyasha. _I sure hope that this Sesshomaru can heal her broken heart… or at least help mend it without shattering it even more.. _She knew all too well the pain of loss and how hard it was to let go of that pain.

* * *

A yawn escaped her lips as Kagome laid out her mat and settled in for the night, they hadn't made much ground thanks to the pit stop but she didn't care in the least, if anything she wished she could've stayed with her family longer than she had. Sesshomaru would surely have demanded that they go back if she took any more time though, but the visit was so refreshing she couldn't even find the strength to be mad at him. A whole day was better than not seeing them at all. A slim finger traced the locket next to her as the other propped the jewelry box open, the music played for a moment before winding down completely.

Kagome looked down into the box and something caught her attention, curiously she lifted the middle tray and found a picture of her family underneath, a smile on all their faces. Deep blue eyes wandered over the picture and settled on her mother. Kagome knew her mother didn't intend any harm, her teasing was light hearted and meant well. Still, she did find herself wondering if her mother knew something she didn't, after all it wouldn't be the first time and likely not the last.

Would that be like cheating? Inuyasha had always wanted Kikyou and she had never been sure if he was seeing her or Kikyou but …It was Inuyasha's brother…would he be mad at her if… But then suddenly she realized just What her mind was questioning to begin with and shook her head, _what the hell was I even - get a grip girl! _she bit her lip in a harsh punishment for her thoughts. That was insane to even think of, besides he hated humans with a passion. _So why does he keep Rin..._ her mind taunted back, a growl escaped her lips as she gently wound up the music box and listened to the tune to drown out her insistent mind. Within seconds she felt more at east as the melody enveloped her, she found herself gazing at Sesshomaru's back as her eyes closed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Kagome was mumbling in her sleep, this was a new trait he hadn't seen from her before and Sesshomaru unconsciously moved closer to her to try and catch the words playing from her closed lips. He couldn't be sure what made him do it but he found himself crouched down near her, watching her peacefully sleep. She had stopped mumbling and for a moment it annoyed him, never getting to hear what was on her unconscious mind. He sniffed the air, taking in her scent, then moved in to get a better look at her locket next to her hand. Gently he picked it up and placed it into the jewelry box for safe keeping for the night, and then she mumbled again. What did she just say?

Then it happened, faster than he even thought possible for a mere human, she had her arms around his waist in a iron tight grip. Sesshomaru's eyes widened at the unexpected movement and even more shocked that she had moved so fast he didn't have time to step away. "Sesshomaru….." She whispered his name softly, but he knew for a fact she wasn't awake. She was dreaming of him? A small smile formed on her lips as her grip tightened around him, pulling him down towards her. He stiffened as her grip was unrelenting, to push her off would surely wake her. Not wanting to be caught in the strange situation he sat there, waiting for her grip to loosen on him. Surely she couldn't keep this grip for long…. He wasn't sure how long he stayed there next to her with her arms around him, and he refused to acknowledge that he could've probably escaped without waking her for likely half that elapsed time.

He wouldn't be in her embrace when she awoke anyhow, and for the moment it felt kinda nice.

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**A/N: if anyone is wondering, the song the jewelry music box plays is: A Time For Us (Romeo & Juliet)**

**I'm dead tired now….the sun is rising already so I'm going to get some much needed sleep before work.. Ugh…*falls over***

**Please Review…**


	7. Chapter 7: July

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: So here I am, not much to say for myself. *rubs back of neck* well I had planned on getting this out two days ago but I hit a road block, and as a result this chapter has kinda come out choppy. I've mentioned in the past chapters that I'm looking for a beta, and I'd appreciate that help if anyone is interested. My friend must get tired of partially taking on the role by this point lol, I'd like to give him a break. Warning: this chapter contains some suggestive themes and minor language. Hope you like this chappy and Please Review.**

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Chapter 7: July

Sesshomaru wasn't sure what to think about the change in Kagome, sure she hadn't been deadly silent before but that silence was far more often than now. His travel companion softly hummed some song under her breath and would occasionally mumble something about the warm weather, or randomly stare at him curiously before asking him some silly question. Ever since they returned from her family she seemed far more alive than before, and as a result he was given the opportunity to learn more about her. The question was, how much did he wish to know? From day one she was an enigma to him and one he later found he wanted to unravel, but to what extent?

She really was a peculiar girl, well woman he mentally admitted. It was hard to not to recognize that much, even if he wasn't happy to admit to her effects on him. Sesshomaru kick started his mind to another matter and thought back on their little visit to her time, all the things that had occurred that day. This was as good a time as any to venture for more information, and judging by her continuous displays of curiosity towards him he doubted she'd stay silent much longer. Mentally he tacked off the list of things he wished to know, starting with the most prominent question.

"Who is Hojo?" Sesshomaru questioned, glancing over at her beside him. He hadn't missed the little occasion when her mother had called her over to speak with her about all the gifts said person had given her during her absence. After seeing the large pile it sparked his interest, why would someone send her so many things? Did he wish to gain her affections?

"Nani? Hojo… is just a friend, that's all." Kagome responded rather nervously, a small blush crept up into her cheeks as she cast her eyes down to the ground. She fidgeted with the hem of her haori as she chewed on her lip thoughtfully.

"Do all your friends in your time bring you gifts?" The question was very simple even if blunt. Sesshomaru took her moment of distraction with the ground to watch her more closely, clearly the topic was making her uneasy but she could refuse to answer and yet she continued.

"N-no, he..sorta… like likes me" She said nervously, feeling more embarrassed by each passing second. Ah, so the boy- at least he assumed it to be a just a boy, truly was after her affections then. Something inside Sesshomaru growled in protest to this knowledge, he quickly squashed the feeling before any display could be materialized.

"Ah, and how do you feel about that?" He said with the barest hint of irritation creeping into his voice.

"Eh? I'm never home long enough to even consider it… and my attention was directed elsewhere…" Kagome wistfully stared into his golden eyes as she answered, a note of sadness in her tone. Quickly she turned the tables around on him, eager to get out of the spotlight as quickly as possible. "What about you? No Mrs. taiyoukai of the West?"

"No." He said with a cautious eye on her as he slowed his pace a bit and watched her expression change. Kagome quickly stepped in front of him and began walking backwards to keep her position, her brow furrowed in consideration.

After a moment of silence she looked up into his face and continued her questioning, "Why not?"

Rather than answer her intrusive question Sesshomaru coolly side stepped her question and simply stated, "I've been perfectly fine alone." He said in a convicting final tone.

Kagome raised a single eyebrow, his short statement not quite answering her question. "But, don't you ever get lonely?"

"How can I when you're so talkative anymore?" Sesshomaru nonchalantly replied. Her eyes quickly widened in embarrassment, the little display causing his eyes to brighten in light amusement.

Kagome scoffed at his little remark and could swear she saw his lips quirk up for a moment, she tilted her head slightly and made a face, "Ha ha, very funny. So how does it work? Do you have to find a mate or do you know when it's 'The One' or something, or is it only to… breed…?" she treaded, watching the amusement in his gaze swell into silent laughter.

"Often mates are arranged from birth, to strengthen bloodlines and clans, in the lower clans mating is solely for breeding. There have been a few cases of "true mate" the occupants of said cases being intertwined to one another's 'fate'-"

Kagome grinned slyly, "like true love at first sight?" He nodded without interest. "No offence but I don't believe in that love at first sight stuff."

"Aa, neither do I." So there was something they could agree on, that was unexpected.

Kagome launched into another question, wanting to keep him talking; this was the most she had ever gotten out of her silent companion within such a short time frame. "So there's no one you're interested in?"

"Why are you so interested in my relationship status?" Sesshomaru ever slightly raised a single elegant eyebrow and looked down at her.

"Curiosity…you know.. Just trying to understand you, I mean we've been traveling together but I don't know very much about you." Kagome nervously stammered out as she cautiously avoided tripping on a rock behind her.

"Aa," he gazed down into her eyes as she continued to walk backwards in front of him, his response causing her to blush. Was he saying yes about her statement, yes there was someone that held his interest or both? But he didn't give her time to ask him before he threw out his own question, "What was that odd smelling liquid your grandfather was drinking from that strange looking container?" Sesshomaru quickened his pace to take residence beside her, if she kept walking backwards she was sure to trip sooner rather than later. She caught on quickly and turned around to walk properly an arms length along side him.

Kagome took a moment to ponder on what he was speaking of, a small smile lit her face as she concluded what he must be referring to. "You must be speaking of the beer he was drinking, it's a low alcoholic beverage served in my time. The container is made of aluminum, metal shaped into thin hollow cans in factories and then shipped and filled where the beer is made. My grandfather has a little with his meals every now and then, next time we go for a visit I can get you some to try, if you like." Kagome took a moment to survey the taiyoukai at her side, who had seemingly been listening so intently he didn't realize he had moved closer.

Sesshomaru nodded once she finished, his mind drifting onto the possibilities of this said 'can' more than the drink it contained. He had never heard of aluminum before, and so he gave in to his craving to learn more. After all, he wanted to be well educated in every way he deemed worthy and knowledge of her time was certainly something he could get into. "Are there other uses of this Aluminum?" He questioned, pleased when she nodded and smiled up at him and launched into teacher mode again.

This went on for nearly half an hour, remarkable for the demon lord in itself before he stopped his little interrogation. Kagome had answered every question that came at her with the best of her abilities, she knew he had more questions but he didn't push for more answers. What she found unfair though was that he had been asking all the questions while she didn't really get a chance to find out more about him, but she would let it slip for now. She'd get her answers eventually. For now her mind was occupied with all the questions he had asked her, surprisingly, more than half hadn't been about items of the future but pertaining to her.

Sesshomaru learned that she had lost her father at a young age, and that her mother and grandfather raised her and her brother: Sota. He learned various things about her world and about her, but seeing her family he could still tell there was something that made her unique, he knew there was still so much more to learn of her. But he wasn't in a rush and took to their comfortable silence, listening to their surroundings as they continued their trek through the forest surrounding them. They still had a few hours of daylight left, the remainder of that time was spent with his thoughts thoroughly threaded around the woman by his side.

~That Night~

Kagome felt something warm against her and felt oddly comfortable considering she was on the hard ground, or was she? Slowly her brain began to unfold the layers of sleep as her body started to realize she was laying against something too soft and warm to be the ground, the task very hard considering just how comfortable she was and whatever it was smelled so nice. She just wanted to bury herself in whatever it was and fall back into oblivion, but rationality overthrew the idea. Kagome focused on keeping her breathing normal, slowly she cracked open her eye and found herself staring at none other than Sesshomaru.

She forgot to breath for a moment but quickly recovered and forced herself to breath normally as to not alert him of her consciousness, though she was absolutely sure he'd have noticed if not for the fact that he was actually asleep. So Sesshomaru did need sleep after all, the thought vaguely crossed her mind as she gazed up at his unguarded face. Her heart stuttered as a deep blush filled her cheeks, he looked so ….breathtakingly beautiful in his sleep and even a little innocent. She bit down on her lower lip as she resisted the urge to touch his face, that would surely wake him. Kagome settled for just staring at his content expression as he inhaled deeply, his lips quirking unconsciously.

His pelt was softly wrapped around her body, her head was cushioned into his lap. It was then that she felt his claws very lightly scrape the back of her skull as his hand flexed against her slight movement, his fingers lightly entwined into her hair. Rather than try to move away though Kagome couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face, quite the opposite really. She found she really enjoyed the sensation flowing through her from such a simple act. She breathed in slowly and relaxed into him more as she listened to his rhythmic breathing before drifting back off into sleep.

* * *

A Couple Days Later~

The breeze played through the trees in a soft caress, as the sun shone down brightly onto our little- not so happy duo. Sesshomaru briskly kept in the lead as he concentrated on every scent other than hers, why did it have to be so damn hard to ignore. He could feel the heat of her stare on the back of his head and though he was aggravated it still surprised him to a degree that she'd be so upset over something that seemed so inconsequential, or at least it should to her. They had just encountered a boar demon yesterday and gained another small sliver of a shard, so shouldn't she be happy right now? It had been right after that short battle that he caught her scent and noticed the change, and it had distracted him since then.

Why was he avoiding her? Kagome mentally questioned again for probably the hundredth time or perhaps more. Everything had been normal- well as normal as can be between the two of them, that is, up until mid morning yesterday. Now he was avoiding her like a plague, keeping a good distance away from her and speaking even less than usual. She had thought he was starting to come out of that indifferent shell of his but of course he defied her beliefs in one day as he reverted back to the icy Demon Lord far in front of her now.

It infuriated her, to the point she was beginning to lose her ability to see straight and she didn't even understand why. Her hands balled into tight fists at her sides in frustration, she pushed back the urge to yell at him and picked up her pace. The sun beamed down brightly in the midday heat, Kagome relaxed a little bit and took a moment to enjoy the sensation as a light breeze played around her and cooled her body down. Her mind picked back up where it left off as she stared at the taiyoukai up front, was he mad at her for catching him in his actions from the other night? Somehow that didn't seem to fit, she was nearly a hundred percent sure that he hadn't woken up so if it wasn't something she did then what was it?

Was he upset at himself for those actions? It did seem odd though, it wasn't really like him to just react on a whim. Though it also didn't seem like him to show that kind of affection, the idea even stranger when directed to someone not conscious. Then again maybe that made it easier, perhaps because she wasn't conscious he felt more relaxed around her and didn't mind showing that affection. Kagome sighed, would she ever really understand what went on in that mind of his?

After taking Rin into his care Sesshomaru had did a little research on humans, so he knew that human females didn't go into heat. He could feel Kagome boring holes into the back of his head as they walked in silence. Sesshomaru learned that humans could reproduce at any time of the year, but still the scent she was producing was making his body want to react and take her. It was absurd, he had been around her while she was in this condition before over their time together, but it hadn't effected him nearly as strongly as now. Maybe it's because you realize you Do want her, whereas before she was just a lowly human. His subconscious mind growled out at him before being silenced.

The wind swiftly picked up and taunted him as it swirled around him, her scent clinging around him in mockery. He had to get away from here, away from her right now before his body caved in on him. A frown marred Kagome's face as she saw him tense up and go ridged, did she stink now? She bit her tongue to refrain her tempter and took in a deep breath, she didn't smell anything bad. Sesshomaru took a moment to whip his control back into order before swiftly turning around.

"Time for a break, stay here." He nearly snapped as he quickly walked off deeper into the forest, leaving a stunned Kagome staring at his back.

What the hell was that? Kagome blinked in confusion before glaring at his retreating back, they had just had mid day break about an hour ago so why was he so eager to stop again so soon? Her temper got the better of her as she stood there for nearly five minutes just fuming and glaring at the direction he had took off in. What was going on with him? Quickly she glanced over at Ah-Un who had landed near by, the dragon stared back at her looking almost amused. Oh that was it, she'd had enough of his odd behavior.

With her bow in hand Kagome took off towards the direction Sesshomaru had went, fire blazing in her eyes as she began to track the stubborn ass down. After taking a minute to get a lock on his youki Kagome took chase, luckily she sensed he wasn't very far away from her. Anger fueled her to run faster as she ducked and sidestepped trees in a reckless rush to confront him. All her thoughts on giving him a piece of her mind and dragging the truth out of him. "You baka," Kagome growled under her breath, "you can't just run away from me…"

Sesshomaru silently glared at the water as he stood in front of the small spring before him, a cold bath would do him a lot of good. He needed to cool down and get out of the clothes that still had her scent lightly clinging to them, half unconsciously he searched the area around him for a good clean place to put his clothing on. His thoughts lingering on her, why was it his mind thrived on torturing him with images of her smiling up at him. She wasn't in heat, that wasn't possible for humans. He repeated this to himself again, her body was just more fertile at the moment, that's all.

Rin would be going through that same process when she got older, then again he truly knew he wouldn't have this kind of reaction to Rin anyway. Why should it be any different for the young woman he accompanied? It wasn't even as if she knew of her effect on his body, a small sigh escaped his lips as he closed his eyes. In his minds eye he saw her writhing beneath him as he hovered over her, his hand slowly roaming over her soft petite body. _Kuso!_ He mentally cursed as all the blood flowed south, angrily he tugged at his armor and quickly removed it.

He tried to blank out his mind but found the task to be incredibly hard to do, he could still smell her and it was very distracting. Forcefully he began to remove the top of his kimono, swiftly he shrugged his arms out of it and was about to remove the obi when the thrashing of tree branches pulled him from his thoughts and actions. What was she doing here? He told her to stay put! Just then she burst through the tree line and skidded to a stop, a look of utter shock filtered across her face as she took in his appearance.

Kagome stared wide eyed at Sesshomaru, nearly half way through undressing himself. His pale toned chest completely exposed to her, she bit down on her lip as she tried to pull her gaze away but found she couldn't. Blue eyes scavenged over his thin frame, a very deep blush traveled up her cheeks as she caught sight of the bulge in his pants. "S-Sesshomaru…" she tried to speak but her mouth was so dry, she licked her lips and tried to clear her fuzzy brain. Deep blue eyes glued to the well toned pale skin making it hard to drag them up into his eyes, but she managed to do it.

Sesshomaru watched her closely as she stood there, her hands clasped to her chest as her eyes traveled over his body. He wasn't sure if he should feel angry or pleased when a deep blush formed on her cheeks at the sight of his arousal, she spoke so low he could barely make out what she said. He couldn't deal with this, he didn't know if he could handle her being so close right now. Hesitantly she licked her lips and he caught her scent, sweet and spicy and ….oh Kami, she wasn't making this easy. He could smell the light scent of arousal on her now and as her eyes traveled up to his, their depths filled with shock that held a hint of desire and it was then that his control was shattered.

Suddenly Kagome found herself lying on the soft grass of the forest floor, Sesshomaru positioned above her with a look in his eyes she'd never seen before. She gasped as she felt his clawed fingers slipped under her hakama to lightly trail up her ribcage in a light caress, what was going on here? Apparently she did something he felt encouraging because he wasted no time in pulling her body closer to his, a low teasing growl escaped his lips as he pressed his bare chest against her. Kagome raised her hands to meet his chest, her face becoming so red it would make a tomato envious. She stared up into his golden eyes and was trapped, slowly Sesshomaru inched his face down lower to kiss her-

"My my, so sorry to intrude!" A mocking tone echoed through the trees around them, the wind softly blowing the putrid stench down around them. Kagome and Sesshomaru both knew who it was immediately, quickly they both stood up and took a defensive stance as they surveyed the area. Dark humorless laughter snaked around them as white fur could be seen flashing by through the trees. Naraku had come by for a visit.

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**A/N: Uh oh! Thought you'd see some fluff action eh? On top of that, a cliffer. :o *ducks and hides behind desk* Sowwy but I just couldn't help myself, honestly! Anyway I honestly am going to try and get the next one up before people want to bite my head off. For now I'm spent for the night, don't forget that you thoughts will likely speed up the whole process! Btw feel free to correct me if I make a mistake pertaining to clothing, environment, or just w/e.**

Glossary:

Aa - Yes (informal)

Kami - God

Kuso - meaning Shit or often translated to Damn it.

Nani - What?

Think that's it

**Please Review!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Darkness That Follows

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: This chapter was put on delay for many reasons but the most prominent reason being that I simply suck at fighting scenes. I mean really it was a struggle for me and I admit I'm not very happy with how it came out but practice makes perfect right? Eventually I will get better but for now this is all I can offer you guys. To all still following along with this story, thank you for being faithful and so very patient! This chapter contains some spoilage and contains violence so be warned ;)**

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Chapter 8: The Darkness That Follows

The wind continued to bellow and whip around them as the sound of Naraku's laughter continued to echo around them, callous and mocking. Kagome gritted her teeth together as she surveyed her surroundings, searching for the evil hanyou in white fur. She gripped her bow tighter and notched an arrow in place, pulling it taught as she stepped closer to Sesshomaru at her back. Her eyes narrowing in the sudden anger that flashed through her body, he'd have to pry the jewel shards from her cold dead hands. Slowly she stepped further back, grinding her shoes into the dirt as she took on a better stance.

"Naraku, show yourself!" Kagome demanded, relieved that at least her voice sounded steady.

"Now, is that any way to talk to an old friend, Kagome?" The voice of Naraku slithered through the trees and around them. "Or, are you still holding a grudge about Inuyasha and his beloved Kikyou?" He laughed again at the look of shock that filtered across her pale face. In one fluent motion he removed the baboon mask from his face and tossed it to the ground, his deep crimson eyes boring into her entire being.

"You…..it was you? You manipulated them and then…" Kagome broke off unable to focus, her mind swam with the images of Inuyasha and Kikyou as the realization hit home. He had used them yet again for his own sick purpose, but what could it be that he wanted to achieve. Kagome had been the one to hold the shards**,** not Inuyasha or Kikyou**, **it just didn't make sense to her. Her bow began to quiver in her shaking hand as her now blurry eyes glanced over and back up to Sesshomaru, his golden eyes belittling any emotion but the flare in his youki indicated enough.

Sesshomaru's youki flared in sudden irritation at the realization that her pain and suffering was all linked to the hidden hanyou, for those actions along with others he was going to pay the consequences. He wouldthoroughly enjoytearing the dark halfling to shreds. His grip on Toukijin tightened as he held the young girls tear brimmed blue eyes with his own, mentally he wondered if she would be capable of fighting in her current condition. The small moment of silence was then interrupted by their enemies musing, effectively jerking his complete attention back to surveying his surroundings once again.

"I must say, I was quite disappointed to find that you were brought back to the living. You continually prove that you're much more determined than I ever thought you capable of. You always were the bigger threat you see, and I thought it would be fun for Inuyasha to be the one to finish you off." He flashed behind her silently and whispered into her ear, "shameful." Naraku vanished again quickly before either of them had the chance to react and perched himself on the top of a large boulder, a daunting sneer forming across his lips. "It's such a shame Kikyou put an end to the game and your life out of _sympathy, _it's ironic don't you think, Kagome?" He coldly deliberated further from his vantage point.

"Why…You self centered greedy bastard! May the afterlife have mercy on you because I won't!" Kagome managed to grit out through her teeth, tears began to stream down her face as old memories flashed through her mind, her friend had died over _her_. It was too much, the bow quivered in her grip as she aimed for the monster before her.

Naraku's smirk grew larger as he witnessed the pain and suffering that rocked through her whole body, she was so upset and distraught that he doubted she'd be able to even scathe him in her condition. He slightly cocked his head sideways as he gazed at her longingly; she was so much like Kikyou right now that the desire began to grow in his twisted body. "Now now, don't be like that. You may hate me but we are alike in some aspects, no? Aren't you using Sesshomaru to aide you in your journey to collect the shards? You're using him for your own needs, aren't you?" The sneer on his face grew larger, his face seemed as if it may split from the effort.

"No, I'm not using him! We both support one another, that's totally different from the pain you cause anyone that comes in contact with you!" Kagome snapped at him, her voice nearly breaking by the end. "Helping the ones you care about and using people for your own selfish needs are quite different Naraku!" Kagome exclaimed, her eyes burning with anger.

Hot tears began to stream down her face freely but she didn't care, the desire to kill had never been so strong in her before. Within moments of her mental near break down Kagome began to pull herself together, _no calm down- if you don't then you'll surely die_. She wasn't a fool, control had to be maintained at all time to stand a chance against their most powerful enemy.

Sesshomaru glanced down at the young woman who was now glaring daggers at the enemybefore him, did she truly mean what she said? Something briefly surged through him at the thought before he pushed it aside as he focused on the matter at hand. Swiftly he removed Toukijin from its sheathe and held it before him, pointing straight at Naraku. "Prepare yourself, half breed."

"Ah, Sesshomaru I didn't take you for the type to -" his little rant was suddenly cut off as Sesshomaru leapt up in a flash and slashed his sword at Naraku, nearly cutting him across the chest. Naraku jumped back just in time and skillfully landed onto a tree branch above, a look of annoyance flashing across his face.

"Enough talk, it's time for action." Sesshomaru nearly smirked as the scowl on Naraku's face only grew. Naraku quickly covered the grimace and smirked down at Sesshomaru before landing down before them silently, the smirk shifted into a grin as he tossed his head back and a maniacal laugh filled the sudden silence.

"Very well, Sesshomaru. Since you're so eager to die faster, we'll play this your way." In blinding speed Naraku leapt forward and slashed his own sword at Sesshomaru's neck, though the taiyoukai was faster and easily dodged the attack. Quickly he realized that he'd actually have to put forth more effort if he wanted to slay his adversary without sustaining injury himself. Naraku quickly leapt back before Sesshomaru could make contact with his own attack, the blade slicing at his head and cutting a few strands of his hair. He prepared to lunge for Sesshomaru when his peripheral vision caught sight of the glowing arrow headed for his neck, he dodged just in time to hear the loud crack of power flow over his head.

Kagome cursed under her breath as the arrow whizzed passed his head instead of impaling him, in one fluid motion she reached back for another arrow and notched it and once again took aim. Hesitantly she glanced over at Sesshomaru who seemed to disapprove of her interference but otherwise didn't reprimand her for it. Nervously her eyes flicked back to Naraku who seemed to be quite amused rather than upset, he slowly stepped in her direction but stopped when a low growl sounded from Sesshomaru. Kagome was shocked to hear the warning come from him, in fact she almost thought her ears were playing tricks on her.

"Two against one? That's not very fair, now is it?" Naraku snidely stated as spider like limbs began to spring forth from his robes. At the same time his arms grew longer and his fingers transformed into dagger like nails. His pale torso faded into the large knotted branch like limbs beneath him, rapidly he grew in size as the many demon limbs suspended him into the air above them. His long raven hair flowed freely down his chest and back, crimson eyes laughed down at his adversaries.

"You think that form will help you defeat me? Arrogance shall be your downfall, Naraku." Sesshomaru coolly stated as he suddenly vanished from sight and reappeared behind Naraku. Sesshomaru quickly slashed at his back but was quickly repelled by Naraku's sharp limbs stabbing out at him. Sesshomaru quickly landed and wastes no time in running to the side, quickly gathering youki to form his whip of light. With a flash he lashed out the whip, disintegrating some of the hanyou's limbs only to find more emerging to replace them. _Quite Distressing_ Sesshomaru thought to himself as he continued to force the attack.

From a good distance away Kagome watched the battle, her arrow following Naraku as best she could with the hindrance of his limbs blocking most of his chest and head. _Come on…Sesshomaru, give me an opening! _She mentally pleaded in frustration. She winced as she witnessed Naraku lash out a sharp limb that resembled a pincher and slice at Sesshomaru's ribcage, causing her companion to temporarily lose his footing. _You better not die on me Sesshomaru, you've still got some explaining to do. _With a good deal of effort she peeled her eyes off Sesshomaru's back to Naraku just in time to sidestep the beam of energy passing by her head. "It might be wise to focus on me rather than your lover boy" Naraku jested at her while cackling. Kagome's face flashed hot red and then her anger renewed itself. She once again regained the tightness in her bow and tried to line up a shot.

Eternity seems to pass as they continue to battle, Sesshomaru was getting very frustrated with the cowardly hanyou that kept a distance between them. Swiftly he dodged another wave of twisted limbs and cracked his whip across the limbs, really how long could Naraku keep up this charade? If this came down to a battle of stamina they might have an even smaller chance then he originally thought. Inwardly he cursed as another wave of limbs flashed out from underneath him, tangling around his legs and then his arms. Sesshomaru bit back a growl as a tentacle like limb wound its way around his neck and lifted him up into the air; suddenly there was a sharp pain that traveled up his back followed by Kagome's scream.

"Sesshomaru!" Kagome screamed out as she saw the sharp dagger like claws slash up Sesshomaru's back, a flow of blood began to drip down along his back and legs and onto the dirt floor beneath him. Naraku's booming laughter filled her ears and that was all she could take, quickly Kagome fired her holy arrow at Naraku's now unprotected heart. New tears brimmed her eyes as she saw the evil hanyou evade the arrow, dropping Sesshomaru in the process. Her heart clenched in her chest as she stared at his bloodied form on the ground, quickly she began to run towards him losing thought of the battle at hand, but was suddenly yanked back by something slimy.

"Kagome, why do you run to him? Does he mean that much to you?" Naraku coldly spoke as he neared her, more tentacle limbs coming out to entangle around her legs and arms as they had done to Sesshomaru. She was pulled up into the air just a few feet from Naraku, a slim tentacle slithered up against her skin to rest under her chin and slowly tilted her head up to look at him. Kagome cringed at the disgusting feeling and desperately craved the strength to break free and put an end to this nightmare, why did she always have to be so weak.

Naraku's deep red eyes bored down into those deep blue orbs, knowing she wasn't Kikyou and never would be. Carelessly he threw her to the ground, the odd angle and force not giving her time to gain any footing and she cried out as her leg twisted backwards and snapped under the bad landing. "Humans are such feeble creatures, so easily broken" Naraku sneered as he approached her once more. Dramatically he leaned down with his long dagger like hands and picked her up by the throat, a little muffled cry of pain seeped through her lips as he brought her nearer once again. _Your time is up little girl, now where are those shards… _He wondered.

Sesshomaru held the small pouch that contained their collected shards up into the air. Having slipped them away from Kagome as he had her pinned had proved to be the wiser choice of this day. Sesshomaru cursed his temporarily loss of consciousness, the pain wasn't enough to knock him out like that though. For a brief moment he wondered if it was a self secreting miasma the hanyou emitted or something else all together.

"Back up so soon? I was just getting started.." Naraku mockingly frowned as he stared at the pouch. He was so sure the girl was carrying them so when had Sesshomaru taken them? He looked back to the struggling Kagome, still being held near him by his many limbs. Naraku sneered as he leaned in closer to Kagome, his hand brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face. "My apologies, Kagome but your time is up early." Naraku articulated as his mouth curved into into a slightly hysterical smile.

Kagome screamed out in agonizing pain as another of Naraku's limbs surged forward and pierced into her abdomen, the blinding pain only grew as his black miasma began to sear through her abdomen and spread down through her legs. The pain was all she could think about as Naraku's maniacal laughter seemed to fade away and the blackness began to take over, only moments before everything went black she caught sight of Sesshomaru racing towards her. A snarl ripped through his throat and brimming red eyes, anger more prominent on his face than she'd ever saw before.

"Too slow Sesshomaru" Naraku taunted as he tossed the dying girl to the forest floor and leapt back in time to keep his head intact with his body. Kagome's body rolled to a dead stop, eyes glazed over in her sockets still holding the expression of surprise. "You can't save her now! I know about Tenseiga and how it can only revive a person once, she will die." Now growing tired of this game he summoned his miasma, collecting it and controlling it to flow in circles around Sesshomaru. Quickly it gained speed and began to shrink in on him until it was around his whole body, Naraku watched as Sesshomaru was swallowed up within the darkness.

With a snarl Naraku leapt back yet again as suddenly bright lights began to burst through the miasma, with a loud crack a blinding light surrounded the entire area causing Naraku to resort to shielding his eyes from the brightness. A gasp escaped his thin lips as he witnessed Sesshomaru step forth from the shredded miasma, his left side glowing in that same strange light. Slowly the light began to fade away until there was nothing left but the taiyoukai before him, Naraku stared disbelieving at Sesshomaru who now had regained his whole left arm back and there in his grasp was a sword. What the hell was going on here? That most certainly was not the Toukijin within his hand, did it come from inside him?

A deep primordial growl emitted from Sesshomaru as he leapt for Naraku, slicing and successfully hacking off Naraku's right arm. He wasn't sure what just happened but right now wasn't the time to question it, Kagome was certain to die unless he finished this quickly. He had to get her out of here and save her, yet he didn't know how to go about saving her. He made another lunge for Naraku, aiming at the dead center of his body, but was unsuccessful as Naraku jumped back out of range, quickly he brought the new sword up and began to gather his power together. The stunned hanyou seemed to understand his intentions immediately and took to the sky, the sneer that usually adorned his face completely gone.

"Until another time, Sesshomaru." Naraku called down to the newly reformed demon lord, suddenly he vanished without a trace. Sesshomaru sniffed the air and cursed under his breath, the hanyou had been sure there was no trail left behind to follow.

_Kagome! _His mind screamed at him, he had to do something if he wanted to save her! Quickly he sheathed the sword that had appeared within his new hand, he leapt over to the frail girl on the forest floor and scooped her up into his arms. His mind rushed through thoughts of any way to save her, here just had to be a way… After a moment he concluded that just maybe Totosai would know of a way, they had been headed for him before the interruption. The old youkai was wise even if stubborn at times, he had to know of a way to save her. With a quick whistle he called forth Ah-Un and instructed the beast to head for Totosai.

Without a second thought Sesshomaru pulled Kagome closer to his chest and set forth with blinding speed. He would reach the old youkai much faster than Ah-Un and time was of the essence, he'd be lucky if she lasted the night in her rapidly decreasing body temperature. He glanced down at her paling face and tightened his grip on her, something inside of him tightened as he pushed himself to move faster.

* * *

**Mindless backstage ramble I had while half asleep:**

Sesshomaru: Naraku, come back here I wanted to give you something.

Naraku: Yeah right! You can kiss my hairy baboon ass Dog Boy!

Kagome: *stifling a giggle in the background*

Sesshomaru: *seems disappointed* and I thought he'd like the Kikyou shrine I bought off eBay…

Naraku: Wait! Where is it? C'mon don't be like that!

Kagome: And they say us girls are confusing. *shakes head*

**A/N: well I this chapter was revised by my wonderful editor who helped me a great deal by providing his advice and thoughts along with fixing my grammar mistakes. He deserves a great deal of credit for the improvements in this revised chapter. I won't lie and set up a date for the next chapter but without a bloody battle it should come to me more easily. Thanks for reading and looking forward to your thoughts!**

**Please Review!**


	9. Chapter 9: Hell's Fire

**Disclaimer: I, GinKitsune, do Not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters. All Rights to that title go to Rumiko Takahashi-san. This fanfic is solely for fan entertainment only.**

**A/N: Apologies for keeping everyone waiting for so long but I almost didn't write this chapter at all. Lately I've lost my interest in writing this fic, we all know if the author isn't interested then it's surely to be a bad write if forced out. I'm actually debating on putting a close on updates until this regains my full interest, that way I don't leave anyone hanging and waiting around for new chapters. I'm not sure yet, anyway I do hope this chapter is somewhat worth the wait and now on with the chapter.**

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Chapter 9: Hell's Fire

Sesshomaru stood outside the tiny bamboo hut as he stared at the small doorframe. He had just arrived at Totosai's place roughly an hour ago. It had taken him a good three hour, dead out run to make it here as quickly as possible. Three hours to reflect on the battle that left her in her current condition, more than enough time to think of the things he was going to do Naraku.

Totosai was still inside processing the extent of Kagome's injuries. Unconsciously Sesshomaru began to pace as he ran a clawed hand through his long silver hair. _How long is he going to have me wait? Absurd! To think that little bug eyed old man had the nerve to demand me to stay outside…_

A rustle of cloth stole him from his thoughts and his full attention was brought to the doorway to watch as Totosai silently emerged from the hut. "Well?" He nearly bit out as Totosai approached him. The expression written on the elders face was anything but encouraging. Sesshomaru silently waited, his patience beginning to wane as seconds dragged by in silence.

"I can't save her, Lord Sesshomaru. The miasma flowing through her body has refused my attempts to ward it off, the demonic Jyaki is eating away at her organs. She won't make it through the night unless…" Totosai had come to only one conclusion but being faced with the expressionless demon lord he was beginning to wonder if he could voice it. A small sigh escaped cracked lips he gave way and decided to continue, "There is a way to save her, but I'm not sure you would agree to the circumstances."

"What might those circumstances be?" Sesshomaru coolly inquired as he tightened the grasp on his fleeting patience.

"You would have to change her." Totosai said slowly as he watched Sesshomaru closely. Silently he noted how the aristocratic demon's mouth temporarily fell open slightly and clawed fingers clenched into fists at his sides. Totosai cleared his throat nervously as the grip on his wooden staff tightened.

"I realize that you wouldn't know of this method, it was prohibited before you were even thought of." He continued, grey brows nit together as he glimpsed back towards the tiny hut. "But that is the only remaining option for her. What is your choice Sesshomaru-sama? Time is short and if we're to attempt to save her we mustn't waste anymore time. The weaker her body is the more likely she won't be able to survive the transaction." A heavy frown marred Totosai's face as his beady eyes gazed up into golden ones.

Sesshomaru blankly stared at his elder while his brain went into a mental catastrophe. Would he be able to go through with it? Somewhere deep inside a part of him wanted her to have a more enriched life but would she hate him for taking away her humanity? Would she even be the same person afterwards? Mentally he growled at himself for his thoughts; it really shouldn't matter either way.

Golden eyes shifted over to the low flickering light escaping the worn tattered fabric covering the doorframe. He had his kingdom, his people and his pride to protect, even she was under his protection. Curtly he nodded his consent, she could hate him if she wished just as long as she survived. His eyes flicked back down to Totosai who shifted under his scrutiny. "Tell me what I have to do." He coldly stated, holding the trickle of anxiety out of his voice.

Totosai quickly nodded and motioned with his body for Sesshomaru to follow him inside, a moment passed by before bony fingers pulled the soft fabric away from Kagome's clammy body. "We will need to move her, the ritual was initially preformed in a body of water. Luckily, there is a hot spring out back we may use." Totosai explained this as he stood back and watched Sesshomaru lean down and pick her up. For an instant he saw something change in those golden eyes, softness tinged with worry before vanishing as quickly as it came.

Carefully Sesshomaru carried her out into the open and bent his head slightly down, with a deep intake of breath he filled his nose with her altered scent. It was tainted with the almost sweet smell of her blood and laced with the stench of miasma. Possessively he pulled her closer to him and missed the small glimmer that flashed in Totosai's dark knowing eyes. With a curt nod they ran towards the spring, mentally Sesshomaru had to be grateful it wasn't far away as he approached the waters edge only a couple minutes after they set forth.

A bead of sweat trickled down Totosai's face as he watched Sesshomaru gently lower Kagome's body into the hot spring, taking in her deathly pale skin and unseeing eyes. His observing eyes settled on the tattered clothing covered in fresh blood as it mingled with the already old and drying, her shallow breaths coming in slowly and hitching now and then. After meeting her in past occasions though under different company, he had become quite fond of the girl. Her fiery spirit and energy was something that drew in those around her, he was also willing to bet she had a hand in the subtle changes he had witnessed from Sesshomaru's slipping façade.

"This ritual was for intended mates before it was banned do to reasons I will explain, I should also inform you of the effects you will also be-"

"There is no time, I do not care for the reasons of the ban nor do I care of the effects it will have. I can take them whatever they may be." Sesshomaru nearly bit out as he shifted his body to rest under Kagome's, her soft back resting against his strong chest. "Now, tell me how to do this" He demanded as his arms wrapped around her slender frame.

Sesshomaru gazed down at Kagome's frail form, a deep unsettling need to save and protect wrapping it's way around his heart. Yet this went against everything he had ever grew up to uphold, would he be breaking his own code by going this far to save her? With a sigh Totosai stepped closer to the pair, nervously he wrung his hands as he stared at Sesshomaru's broad back. "Very well then, Lord Sesshomaru. You must force your youki into her and feed her your blood, and while doing so you must repeat what I say."

Only the sounds of the surrounding forest and Kagome's rattling breath could be heard for a span of a few heartbeats. Sesshomaru's gaze shifted to the gaping hole in her abdomen, her heart beat barely noticeable against his ears. Unperturbed by the silence Totosai took a moment before steadily providing him the words (that sounded more like vows) as if they had been etched permanently into his brain.

"To you I give my strength. To you I give my future. To you I give all that I am. Accept it, accept me, and you will stand at my side until death." Totosai turned away from them as he fixed his eyes to the ground, giving them a little privacy.

This was crazy; something he thought he would never do in his most absurd dreams, yet the fear of being more like his father didn't sting as much as he thought it should. A sharp claw ran over his right wrist as he gave enough pressure to break the flesh, crimson blood spilling forth from the gash and dripping down into the water. With his left hand he gently opened her mouth as his right wrist came up to rest against her mouth, unconsciously she pressed back against him in attempt to spit out the warm metallic liquid in her mouth.

"To you I give my strength," he said in a unusually strained voice, his own heart thumping erratically as his rational mind battled with conflicting emotions. This wouldn't make her his mate, he told himself as he silenced the wavering taunts and desires within. Taking a deep breath Sesshomaru began to focus his youki, slowly the power began to flow around them. As soon as his youki enveloped her she stopped resisting him, her reaction shocking him and somewhat off-putting. She shouldn't be that relaxed over him, it just wasn't natural.

Was she really that comfortable around him? Or did the mere pressure of his youki tear down the remains of her defense, rendering her too weak to continue the struggle. Sesshomaru was knocked out of his musings as he heard the old demon behind them shift nervously. A low growl rumbled through his chest as he realized what had surely caused the older youkai's unease.

Golden eyes looked down at the pale clawed hand caressing Kagome's cheek as if it belonged to someone else. He then realized that he had also craned his head down and was now hovering over her shoulder- as if he had been about to nuzzle up against the soft skin- immediately he backpedaled that train of thought and quickly regained his composer. What the hell was he doing? Steeling himself, he took back to reciting the words (refusing to see them as anything more) and concentrated once more on feeding his youki into her body.

"Accept it, accept me, and you will stand at my side until death" he finished, a small edge to his words as he flexed his wrist to pump more blood into her mouth. Slowly he glanced over to Totosai, "is that it?" He questioned in what he hoped sounded like nothing more than boredom.

"Well, normally it would be.." Totosai softly spoke as he shifted his staff to lean back against a young tree. "But Kagome is a different case, for one: she's a Miko, and a very strong one at that. Her Miko powers will do all that they can to reject your youki and purify it. For two: her injuries are severe and will take time for healing, consequently slowing the process down and three: Kagome is Kagome. She's not going to give in to any intrusion without a good fight." Totosai shook his head with a small grin as he finished speaking.

Sesshomaru merely nodded his head and glanced back to the girl in his arms, she really was a fighter and given time he was sure she could be one of the best. "What more must I do then?"

"You'll have to continue to feed her your youki and blood. Only time will tell in this case…" Totosai rubbed the back of his neck before glancing back to the girl in question. " M'lord, we mustn't keep her in the water any longer now. We should get her back to my hut and bandage those wounds."

With another curt nod Sesshomaru slipped his hand away from her mouth and eased them both out of the water, taking only a brief moment to adjust her against him before taking off. She can survive this, she has the strength. He couldn't explain the rash need to believe in his thoughts but it was there. After a moment he gave way and allowed himself to simply need.

* * *

Kagome was in the worst pain she'd ever felt in her entire life. Her body felt as if it had been ran over by a freight train and was now being torn into pieces. Rapidly her body was jumping from cold to hot, the winters ice melting into hells fire. Rational thought impossible as the hot edge of a blade played against her flesh, cutting flames along her chest and abdomen in light tracing motions. The distinct feeling of ice needles stinging through her veins, coursing through her whole body just under the flames.

There it was again, that hot sticky metallic liquid flowing into her mouth. Desperately she tried to spit it out but for the countless time that effort was rejected. It flowed freely down her throat, it's warmth turning to ice as it reached her belly, like a hail storm of fireworks it exploded through her being. How much more of this agony could she take? Fleetingly she wished death would just take her simply to put an end to it.

Just then she felt a surge of power flow around her, a low growl emitting somewhere within. Death wasn't an option it said, along with that there was another deep voice underlining that authority. In her minds haze she thought she recognized it but the pain surged against her in another colliding wave, unrelenting and giving her little time to form conscious thought. Vaguely Kagome noticed the pressure of something wrapped around her shoulders and over her legs. She instinctively tried to fight against the pressure but stilled as that distant and oddly comforting voice came back to her once more.

* * *

Sesshomaru stared down at the raven haired girl within his grasp, her dark brows furrowed in obvious pain as whimpers gurgled past his wrist as he fed her. He hated doing this. Not because of the growing amount of blood loss he was dealing with now due to his continuous ministrations over the last two days, but because of the pain she was going through the whole time. Every feeding set her in a new rage of pain, her body fighting to remove the impending threat and purify the demon youki flowing into her. Being feared and known as cold and heartless didn't change the anger and helplessness he felt; knowing that her prolonged pain was his doing.

Totosai watched from the shadows as the usually indifferent demon lord heaved a heavy sigh and lowered his head to the young girls upper chest, resting his ear against her weak heartbeat. Strain etched over his pale face as he lowly murmured something to the unconscious girl, the words fleeting and so low Totosai had to wonder if he heard anything at all. Silently he prayed to the heavens above that Kagome would pull through this. It was undeniable that her wounds were healing, in fact that process was moving along faster than he anticipated but it was still far from over.

"Lord Sesshomaru… Perhaps you should try talking to her, I believe that it would be beneficiary to her recovery…" Totosai placed down a fresh rag and bowl of water beside Kagome's sleeping mat, placing down fresh medical herbs and dressings beside the bowl. He then gave Sesshomaru a side long glance, relaying a silent message: she needs to know you're here. A curt nod was the only answer he received before he backed away to leave. He made it a whole five steps before Sesshomaru interrupted his retreat.

"Thank you."

Totosai stood there for a brief moment, trying to debate if he had heard correctly or if he was simply going mad. He said nothing and with a swift wave of his hand he broke back into his retreat, his mind boggling on what just occurred. Sesshomaru, the great Lord of the West, showing appreciation to anyone was simply ludicrous. She truly has brought on a change in him, who would've thought a human was capable of such a feat. He thought as a mischievous twinkle gleamed in his beady eyes, a small smile on his face.

Sensing that Totosai was out of earshot Sesshomaru picked up the fresh rag and soaked it into the water before bringing it to Kagome's forehead, wiping away the sheen of sweat glistening against her pale skin. She had gained more color, he noted as he placed the cloth over the pinking skin. It was then that he realized something that should've hit him much sooner. Her music box… maybe that would give her some kind of comfort, he knew it would…every night she had listened to it's tune before drifting off to sleep.

Almost hastily he stood and walked over to her overly large pack and rummaged through the contents until he found what he was looking for. Gently he wound it up as he walked back over to her, placing it softly on top of the small end table. Silently he listened to the familiar music play, it's soft melody soothing even his wariness away for the moment. Slowly he watched as her features eased ever slightly, her shoulders slumping slightly from their rigidness.

Expertly he removed the old bandages covering her injuries and worked on replacing the old herbs and bandages with the new ones. Once finished Sesshomaru took a moment to be sure Totosai was still far away, unwilling to let the old coot hear him speaking to the sleeping girl. Well speaking probably wasn't the correct terminology, as most of what came out was along the lines of murmuring and half growls of frustration. All uncharacteristic of him but it wasn't as if anyone would know of it, besides he couldn't deny the way she responded to him. Even when he was blatantly upset she would unconsciously shift her body in his direction.

A clawed hand swiftly brushed the stray lock of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering against the soft skin. She leaned into the touch and after a moment he withdrew his hand, placing it back at his side before taking back up to speaking. He could still feel the tingling, an odd sensation for such a brief contact. Everything about her was perplexing, but that wasn't anything new to him. A wry grin took over his lips as his golden eyes caught the small glint from the fires light against her hands, the fingernails glistening sharply in the small lighting.

And so it begins.

* * *

Day 3

If there was anything Kagome was sure of, it was that she was going to go insane if this madness didn't end soon. Having somewhat regained an ability to think through the pain now, Kagome could only hope that somehow she'd regain control and be freed of this nightmare. There was a low hum of music, she could barely hear it but it was surely there and along with it was that voice. She held onto them as though her life depended on it, and it very well could. She knew that without them she would lose herself within the pain and power raging through her.

Slowly the realization hit her, the faint melody drifting in and out of her mind was her music box. The voice was even further away from her senses, mingling in with the soft tune as though it was apart of it. Determined to keep all her focus on the two Kagome put everything she had into focusing on that voice, listening intently as her frayed mind worked to distinguish the face that voice belonged to. The more she strained the clearer the image became in her mind, that tone. Deep. Soothing. Hypnotic. Sesshomaru.

* * *

Day 4

Her body twisted and coiled in violently as her holy powers continued to try and remove the invading youki running over and through her whole body. Her small solitude shattered as the waves of pain returned once again. The two powers clashed with a loud crack, a wild fire erupting in their wake. She could hear the roars as they fought one another for dominance.

As the moments ticked away Kagome had to wonder. Just how long had it been now? Weeks? Months? It was so hard to tell just how long she had been in this living hell, for all she knew it could've only been hours. Kagome stubbornly pushed passed the pain and focused on clearing her head. She had to think of a way to end this torture, and fast before she lost herself once more.

Perhaps if she couldn't defeat the intruding youki then she could tame it. It sounded crazy but she would have to at least try, what other choice did she have at this point? Desperately Kagome pushed all her strength into separating the two deadly powers, inwardly rejoicing as they finally complied with her. Now, to get them to stop fighting, that was going to take an extremely large amount of work…

* * *

Day 5

The first thing Kagome noticed when her exhausted mind made it back to the forefront of her brain was that the raging powers weren't fighting, well not directly. The two powers glided along one another in a light friction rather than clashing, only nipping at one another now and then as one or the other brushed too closely. Somehow she had done it, and the war seemed to be over for the most part and Kagome could only thank heavens for that much. The next thing Kagome noticed was that something was off, well more than one something. Her senses, they seemed to be very off and it was reeking havoc on her mind.

She could hear clearly now, too clearly actually. Kagome wasn't even sure what she was hearing. There was a very loud thumping sound in a rhythmic beat along with the sound of air whooshing back and forth against her ears. Distinctly she could hear another beating sound, though not as loud or as fast as the prominent one. Then she heard it very clearly, him, _Sesshomaru!_ Her mind screamed.

"You're conscious." it was a simple statement, low and almost whimsical. Still, it rang through her ears as if he was right against her eardrum. She winced and suddenly felt a twitch atop her head but was quickly distracted once more by that beating sound. It was growing louder and faster now and the anxiety of it was starting to tear at her nerves. What the hell was that noise?

Very cautiously Kagome cracked open an eye and gasped.

* * *

**A/N: The next chapter is already in progress but I won't hold up false promises of when it will be released. I do appreciate all the support I've received over this story. It truly brings a smile to my face when I see more people faving this and/or alerts, true I'd love to know what you think but I've decided to stop asking for your reviews and just accept them when you wish to leave your thoughts. ;) I'd also like to thank my wonderful editor for once again fixing my errors and giving me limitless advice on how to improve. Thank you all for reading!**


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